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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. kid — child
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. club — for golf
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. foot — a measure
  14. club — a group
  15. net — after costs
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. net — in sport

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