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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: squash · rush · club · snap · kick · band · chair · game

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. band — a music group
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. squash — to crush
  8. club — for dancing
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chair — a leader
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. game — a match
  15. snap — to click
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. club — for golf
  18. kick — in football
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. club — a group
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. band — a ring

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