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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. ground — a position
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. club — a group
  6. capital — money
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rock — a stone
  10. capital — a city
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. perch — the fish
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. court — for sport
  21. club — for dancing
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. ground — crushed

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