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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · swing · land · lash · drill · suit · rest · perch

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rest — what's left
  5. swing — to play on
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. drill — a practice
  9. perch — the fish
  10. suit — clothes
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. club — for dancing
  14. suit — in cards
  15. rest — a break
  16. land — a country
  17. swing — music
  18. drill — the tool
  19. swing — in golf
  20. suit — to fit
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com