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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. season — of the year
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fall — the season
  6. season — in sport
  7. club — for dancing
  8. suit — in cards
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. court — of law
  12. suit — to fit
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fall — to drop
  15. court — for sport
  16. scale — in music
  17. suit — clothes
  18. fall — to drop
  19. court — of a king
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. club — for golf
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. sharp — clever

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