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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fine — high quality
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. rush — hurry
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. club — for golf
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. field — farmland
  12. kick — in football
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. field — for sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fine — all right
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. club — a group
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. field — a subject
  24. kick — a thrill

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