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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. net — after costs
  3. club — for dancing
  4. net — for catching
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. court — of law
  9. present — the time now
  10. club — for golf
  11. court — for sport
  12. club — a group
  13. court — of a king
  14. pop — to visit
  15. present — there
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pop — music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. present — a gift
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pop — soda
  24. net — in sport

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