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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wound — an injury
  4. snap — to click
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. club — a group
  15. net — after costs
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — for money
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. net — for catching
  21. club — for golf
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mine — for digging

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