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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. club — a group
  3. staff — employees
  4. bound — tied together
  5. court — of a king
  6. club — for golf
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. club — for dancing
  12. spring — of water
  13. scale — size or range
  14. spring — the season
  15. scale — in music
  16. staff — employees
  17. plane — a tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bound — obliged
  21. spring — a coil
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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