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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. court — of law
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. staff — employees
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. club — for dancing
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. shower — to wash
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. court — for sport
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — electricity
  15. shower — rain
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. club — a group
  18. charge — in control
  19. court — of a king
  20. capital — a city
  21. staff — a stick
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. capital — money
  24. club — for golf

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