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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: club · ground · rash · chair · press · kick

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rash — a series
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. ground — the earth
  6. press — a publisher
  7. ground — a position
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. kick — in football
  12. ground — crushed
  13. club — a group
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. chair — a leader
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rash — hasty
  18. kick — a thrill

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