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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 116 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. spring — of water
  3. vault — a safe
  4. court — for sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. present — a gift
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. spring — a coil
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. court — of law
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. court — of a king
  18. net — for catching
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. stem — to come from
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. racket — a loud noise

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