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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. kid — child
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mate — a friend
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ball — a dance
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mate — a partner
  12. club — a group
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. club — for golf
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mate — to breed
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. row — a line

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