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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wound — an injury
  15. club — for dancing
  16. row — a line
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. season — in sport
  19. club — a group
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. season — of the year

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