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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. club — for golf
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. current — of water
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. kick — in football
  10. court — of a king
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mug — a cup
  13. court — for sport
  14. mug — a face
  15. current — happening now
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. court — of law
  18. stand — to bear
  19. club — a group
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. current — electric
  24. bulb — for light

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