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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. club — a group
  2. ground — a position
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. roll — a list
  5. court — of law
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ground — the earth
  12. march — the month
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ground — crushed
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. press — to push
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. press — newspapers
  19. court — of a king
  20. march — music
  21. court — for sport
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. press — a publisher
  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