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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: club · fork · spell · rest · staff · stick · game · kick

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. game — wild animals
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. club — a group
  7. game — a match
  8. staff — a stick
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fork — in a road
  14. staff — employees
  15. kick — in football
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spell — magic
  20. rest — a break
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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