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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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Word bank
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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: stick · safe · wind · ground · racket · hand · sharp · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hand — help
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. club — for dancing
  10. sharp — clever
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ground — crushed
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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