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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: game · ground · rest · club · racket · clip · rush · suit

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. suit — clothes
  3. club — for golf
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rush — hurry
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. clip — to cut
  15. game — a match
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rest — a break
  18. suit — to fit
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. suit — in cards
  21. club — a group
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ground — crushed
  24. clip — a video

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