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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. firm — a company
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. court — of law
  5. pop — soda
  6. firm — steady
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. club — for golf
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. court — of a king
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mine — for digging
  18. court — for sport
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pop — music
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. firm — decided
  23. club — for dancing
  24. perch — for a bird

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