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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. club — for golf
  2. rule — government
  3. present — a gift
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. kick — in football
  10. rule — a law
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. pound — a weight
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. lean — thin
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. tube — a container
  23. game — a match
  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