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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. kick — in football
  5. bound — obliged
  6. club — a group
  7. track — a song
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — rain
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. staff — employees
  17. shower — to wash
  18. staff — a stick
  19. track — to keep track
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. track — a path
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. tear — to rip

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