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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. club — for golf
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. club — a group
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. dip — to sink
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. court — of law
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mark — a grade
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — what's left

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