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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: game · deal · club · calf · chip · key · stand · ball

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. chip — to eat
  5. deal — to handle
  6. key — the most important part
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. game — a match
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stand — to bear
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. club — a group
  16. chip — for betting
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ball — a great time
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. key — for a lock
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. key — in music

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