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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 124 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. club — for dancing
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. last — finally
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. kick — in football
  13. season — of the year
  14. club — a group
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. season — in sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. club — for golf
  24. last — final

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