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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: kick · club · pop · file · dip · suit · hand · leaves

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pop — music
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pop — soda
  8. file — a tool
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kick — in football
  11. file — a line of people
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pop — to visit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. club — a group
  16. suit — in cards
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. club — for dancing
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. file — a document
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. hand — help
  24. dip — to sink

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