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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pop — music
  3. craft — boats
  4. kick — in football
  5. band — a music group
  6. club — a group
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. band — a ring
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pop — soda
  14. club — for dancing
  15. root — of a word
  16. craft — a skill
  17. season — of the year
  18. pop — to visit
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. season — in sport
  24. club — for golf

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