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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mate — to breed
  4. club — for dancing
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. club — a group
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pound — a weight
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. club — for golf
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pound — to hit hard

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