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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. club — for golf
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — of law
  8. bulb — for light
  9. club — a group
  10. track — a path
  11. court — for sport
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. court — of a king
  15. kick — in football
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. track — to keep track
  21. club — for dancing
  22. chest — of your body
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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