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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — of a king
  4. dip — to sink
  5. club — a group
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fall — the season
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. court — for sport
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fall — to drop
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. court — of law
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. club — for golf
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. shower — rain
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fan — a supporter

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