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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 116 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. charge — electricity
  4. swing — to play on
  5. key — the most important part
  6. club — for golf
  7. race — humankind
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. race — the arms race
  11. key — in music
  12. charge — a price
  13. kick — in football
  14. rest — what's left
  15. key — for a lock
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. race — a contest
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. charge — in control
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. club — a group

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