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

Word bank: club · bore · kick · race · sharp · prune · swing · kid

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. club — a group
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kid — to tease
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. sharp — clever
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. club — for dancing
  18. kick — in football
  19. bore — to drill
  20. kid — child
  21. swing — to play on
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. club — for golf
  24. sharp — exactly

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