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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kick — in football
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. swing — in golf
  11. season — of the year
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. club — for golf
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. swing — music
  20. mark — a trace
  21. capital — a city
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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