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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. kick — in football
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. club — a group
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. game — a match
  14. club — for golf
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. game — wild animals
  17. club — for dancing
  18. kick — with a leg

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