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

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kick — in football
  3. mine — for digging
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ball — a great time
  6. squash — the sport
  7. club — a group
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. hand — help
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ball — a dance
  12. club — for golf
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ball — a round shape

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