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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bear — the animal
  3. race — a contest
  4. spell — letters
  5. field — a subject
  6. key — for a lock
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spell — a short time
  9. field — for sport
  10. spell — magic
  11. kid — child
  12. key — the most important part
  13. club — for golf
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. kid — to tease
  17. ball — a great time
  18. key — in music
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. race — humankind
  22. bear — the animal
  23. field — farmland
  24. club — for dancing

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