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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. club — a group
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — a path
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. track — to keep track
  10. club — for dancing
  11. staff — a stick
  12. club — for golf
  13. track — a song
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. court — of law
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. court — of a king
  23. staff — employees
  24. ball — a great time

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