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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. snap — to click
  3. club — a group
  4. court — of a king
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. court — of law
  7. current — of water
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mate — a friend
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wax — to grow
  13. current — electric
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. club — for golf
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. court — for sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. current — happening now
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. game — a match

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