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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: staff · scale · club · object · kick · swing · season · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. swing — music
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. swing — to play on
  6. object — an aim
  7. scale — size or range
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. season — in sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. rush — hurry
  13. season — of the year
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. club — for golf
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. object — a thing
  19. club — for dancing
  20. object — to protest
  21. club — a group
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. swing — in golf

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