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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. club — for golf
  4. march — music
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chip — for betting
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chip — to eat
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. club — a group
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. court — of a king
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. march — the month

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