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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 116 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: staff · swing · pass · stick · race · game · file · club

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. club — for golf
  3. staff — employees
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. swing — music
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. swing — to play on
  12. file — a document
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pass — a permit
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. club — a group
  21. file — a tool
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. swing — in 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