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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. club — for dancing
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. staff — employees
  8. net — for catching
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. staff — a stick
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. hand — in cards
  16. club — for golf
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. hand — help
  19. cold — an illness
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. club — a group
  24. staff — employees

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