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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. club — for golf
  3. dip — to sink
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bass — low music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. file — a document
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. club — for dancing
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wind — moving air
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bass — the fish
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. file — a line of people
  21. club — a group
  22. file — a tool
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. dip — a sauce

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