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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. club — a group
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. net — for catching
  7. present — there
  8. rest — a break
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. pop — soda
  12. net — after costs
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — for golf
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pop — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — in sport
  22. club — for dancing
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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