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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 · hand · bowl · nail · perch · rule · lash · leaves

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rule — a law
  5. club — for dancing
  6. perch — the fish
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. hand — help
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. rule — government

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