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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. face — to confront
  7. club — for dancing
  8. march — the month
  9. root — of a word
  10. face — to point toward
  11. root — of a plant
  12. march — music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. march — the month
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. root — the cause
  24. club — for golf

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