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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. club — for golf
  3. current — of water
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — of a king
  6. current — electric
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. club — a group
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. court — for sport
  16. club — for dancing
  17. current — happening now
  18. court — of law
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wound — an injury

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