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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 120 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 · club · wake · cabinet · safe · squash · sharp · chair

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. club — for golf
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. squash — to crush
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. squash — the sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. club — for dancing
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. kick — in football
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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