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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. land — ground
  3. club — a group
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rash — hasty
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. land — a country
  11. pop — soda
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stand — to bear
  14. tear — from crying
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pop — music
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. land — to come down
  19. rash — a series
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. hand — help
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pop — to visit

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