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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cell — in biology
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. club — for golf
  5. court — for sport
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. club — a group
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. bear — the animal
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. vault — a safe
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bore — to tire

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