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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. club — for golf
  6. cap — of ice
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. shower — to wash
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. court — of law
  13. cap — a hat
  14. race — a contest
  15. club — a group
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. court — for sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. race — humankind
  22. sharp — clever
  23. race — the arms race
  24. court — of a king

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