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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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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: club · last · can · fan · object · kick · stick · cue

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. object — an aim
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. object — to protest
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. last — finally
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. last — to go on
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. object — a thing
  13. club — for dancing
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. last — final
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. can — a tin

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