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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: ball · club · rush · bass · chest · mark · clip · kick

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chest — a box
  3. mark — a grade
  4. chest — of your body
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. kick — in football
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bass — low music
  19. mark — a trace
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bass — the fish
  22. clip — for paper
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. club — a group

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