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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: deal · cabinet · mug · club · key · rash · kick · roll

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mug — a face
  3. roll — a cake
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mug — to rob
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. key — in music
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. key — for a lock
  19. club — a group
  20. rash — a series
  21. roll — a list
  22. key — the most important part
  23. deal — to handle
  24. club — for golf

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