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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — to go on
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. last — final
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cue — a hint
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. club — a group
  14. mate — a friend
  15. last — finally
  16. hand — help
  17. cue — for pool
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mate — to breed
  24. club — for golf

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