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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. court — of a king
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. key — in music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — music
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. key — for a lock
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. court — of law
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitch — completely
  19. club — a group
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. wake — a trail
  23. court — for sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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