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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. spring — a coil
  3. club — a group
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spring — of water
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. row — a line
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mark — a grade
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mug — a face
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. club — for dancing
  17. spring — the season
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bat — the animal
  20. club — for golf
  21. kick — in football
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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