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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. net — for catching
  5. court — for sport
  6. lie — to recline
  7. track — a song
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bulb — for light
  13. court — of a king
  14. net — after costs
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. track — a path
  18. net — in sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. club — a group
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  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