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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. court — of a king
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. track — a song
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. court — of law
  10. key — in music
  11. court — for sport
  12. key — the most important part
  13. chest — a box
  14. rash — a series
  15. track — a path
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. key — for a lock
  18. club — a group
  19. spring — of water
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spring — the season
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pound — a weight

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