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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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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: season · lash · foot · roll · tear · chest · club · chip

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. season — of the year
  5. chest — a box
  6. chip — for betting
  7. season — in sport
  8. foot — a measure
  9. tear — to rip
  10. club — for golf
  11. roll — a cake
  12. chip — to eat
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. club — a group
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. club — for dancing
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. roll — a list
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chest — of your body

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