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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. court — for sport
  5. cell — in biology
  6. court — of law
  7. spring — a coil
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rock — music
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. club — for golf
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — the season
  18. club — a group
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cell — a phone
  21. court — of a king
  22. mate — a partner
  23. spring — of water
  24. nail — for a hammer

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