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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: roll · straw · club · kid · capital · racket · pit · fine

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. club — a group
  3. fine — high quality
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. club — for golf
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. fine — all right
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. club — for dancing
  20. kid — child
  21. pit — a hole
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. capital — a big letter

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