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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. ball — a great time
  3. club — for golf
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spell — letters
  11. season — in sport
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. shower — to wash
  15. season — of the year
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. shower — rain
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ball — a dance
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. club — a group

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