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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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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 · track · club · prune · toast · rock · row · chip

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rock — music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. kick — in football
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for golf
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. row — a line
  12. toast — bread
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. track — a path
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rock — a stone
  18. track — a song
  19. club — for dancing
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chip — for betting
  23. row — to paddle
  24. kick — with a leg

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