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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mine — for digging
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. perch — the fish
  11. craft — boats
  12. hand — in cards
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. spring — the season
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. spring — of water
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. spring — a coil
  19. craft — a skill
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. kick — in football
  24. hand — help

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