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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. prune — to trim
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kick — in football
  13. prune — to trim
  14. club — for dancing
  15. firm — decided
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. club — a group
  22. key — in music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. kick — a thrill

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