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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · club · key · game · wound · cabinet · lash · sharp

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. key — the most important part
  5. club — a group
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. sharp — clever
  13. club — for golf
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. key — in music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. wound — an injury
  24. game — a match

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