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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 120 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: kick · mine · chair · race · club · track · hand · mark

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. club — a group
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. chair — a leader
  9. race — a contest
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. kick — in football
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. track — a path
  15. race — humankind
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hand — in cards
  19. track — a song
  20. club — for dancing
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mark — a grade
  23. club — for golf
  24. mark — a trace

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