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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. club — a group
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pop — soda
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rest — what's left
  12. dip — to sink
  13. press — to push
  14. pop — music
  15. march — the month
  16. press — newspapers
  17. march — the month
  18. rest — a break
  19. row — a line
  20. rest — what's left
  21. march — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. row — to paddle
  24. dip — to dunk

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