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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. press — a publisher
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. can — to be able to
  7. hand — help
  8. can — a tin
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. press — to push
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. club — a group
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. press — newspapers
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mark — a trace
  19. club — for dancing
  20. can — a tin
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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