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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: stick · drill · bay · date · club · chest · land · lash

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. land — to come down
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. chest — of your body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. drill — army training
  7. club — for golf
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. drill — a practice
  14. land — ground
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. chest — a box
  17. drill — the tool
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. land — a country
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. chest — of your body
  24. club — a group

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