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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 124 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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Word bank
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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 · land · tear · season · spell · game · lash · roll

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spell — a short time
  3. game — a match
  4. spell — magic
  5. club — for dancing
  6. roll — a cake
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. season — of the year
  10. tear — to rip
  11. land — a country
  12. game — wild animals
  13. land — ground
  14. roll — a list
  15. tear — from crying
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. season — in sport
  18. spell — letters
  19. land — to come down
  20. tear — from crying
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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