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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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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: rest · present · club · lash · kick · pound · court · saw

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. present — a gift
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — the time now
  5. rest — what's left
  6. court — of a king
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. present — there
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. club — for golf
  12. rest — what's left
  13. club — for dancing
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rest — a break
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. kick — in football
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — a weight

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