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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. rest — what's left
  4. kid — child
  5. rest — a break
  6. rush — hurry
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — to tease
  9. lie — to recline
  10. court — of law
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. court — of a king
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. club — a group
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stand — to bear
  22. kick — in football
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. court — for sport

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