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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: foot · game · mark · club · mine · kick · board · content

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mark — a trace
  5. board — to get on
  6. club — a group
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mark — a grade
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. game — wild animals
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. kick — in football
  19. game — a match
  20. mine — for digging
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mark — to pay attention

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