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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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Word bank
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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: kick · swing · club · perch · race · spell · snap · racket

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. club — for golf
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. swing — in golf
  6. race — the arms race
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. club — a group
  11. spell — a short time
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — a contest
  17. kick — in football
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. club — for dancing
  21. race — humankind
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spell — magic
  24. snap — to click

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