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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bound — certain
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rock — a stone
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rash — hasty
  8. capital — money
  9. row — to paddle
  10. hand — help
  11. rock — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. capital — a city
  16. club — a group
  17. bound — obliged
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rash — a series
  20. row — a line
  21. club — for golf
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ball — a round shape

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