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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. bank — for money
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bank — for money
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bank — of a river
  12. kick — in football
  13. club — a group
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. degree — an amount
  22. object — to protest
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pass — a permit

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