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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. club — for golf
  3. kick — in football
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. current — of water
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. track — a path
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. current — electric
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. current — happening now
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — the animal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rash — hasty
  23. track — a song
  24. sharp — clever

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