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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: kick · arm · club · ball · plane · snap · wake · court

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wake — a trail
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. club — for dancing
  5. ball — a dance
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. court — of law
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. snap — to click
  13. court — for sport
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. plane — a tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. kick — in football
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. club — for golf
  24. court — of a king

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