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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · rest · stick · club · kid · present

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. club — a group
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. club — for golf
  6. present — the time now
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kid — child
  13. present — there
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rest — what's left
  17. club — for dancing
  18. present — a gift

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