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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: club · hide · lie · jam · rule · lash · pound · game

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rule — government
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pound — a weight
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. club — a group
  9. game — a match
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. club — for dancing
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rule — a law
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. game — wild animals
  24. jam — a tight spot

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