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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fall — to drop
  6. court — of a king
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. court — for sport
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fall — to drop
  11. club — for dancing
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pop — to visit
  14. court — of law
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. club — for golf
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. fall — the season
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. club — a group
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fine — all right

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