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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. field — farmland
  4. club — a group
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. row — to paddle
  7. club — for golf
  8. mate — a partner
  9. hand — help
  10. row — a line
  11. charge — electricity
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — a subject
  15. mate — to breed
  16. court — of a king
  17. charge — in control
  18. mate — a friend
  19. court — for sport
  20. club — for dancing
  21. field — for sport
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. charge — a price
  24. court — of law

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