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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pop — soda
  3. kick — in football
  4. club — for golf
  5. spell — magic
  6. pop — music
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spell — letters
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. present — the time now
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pop — to visit
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. club — for dancing
  18. degree — an amount
  19. spell — a short time
  20. present — there
  21. club — a group
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. branch — a division

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