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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rule — a law
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bat — the animal
  5. kick — in football
  6. game — a match
  7. current — happening now
  8. club — a group
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. current — of water
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pound — a weight
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. current — electric
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rule — government
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pound — to hit hard

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