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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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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mate — to breed
  3. field — farmland
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — a friend
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. club — a group
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. field — a subject
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mate — a partner
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. arm — part of the body

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