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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. club — for golf
  3. tube — the underground
  4. club — a group
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. court — of law
  10. club — for dancing
  11. file — a tool
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. track — to keep track
  14. court — of a king
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. track — a song
  18. ball — a dance
  19. track — a path
  20. file — a line of people
  21. tube — a container
  22. file — a document
  23. ball — a great time
  24. court — for sport

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