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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 124 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. rock — music
  3. club — a group
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. court — for sport
  6. bark — to shout
  7. spring — the season
  8. court — of a king
  9. spring — of water
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rock — a stone
  19. court — of law
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stand — to bear
  23. club — for golf
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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