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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fine — all right
  5. court — for sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. court — of a king
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. rest — a break
  11. key — in music
  12. pop — soda
  13. swing — in golf
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rest — what's left
  16. swing — music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. key — the most important part
  19. court — of law
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. swing — to play on
  23. club — a group
  24. pop — music

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