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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spring — of water
  3. mate — a friend
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. club — a group
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. capital — money
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. capital — a city
  11. club — for golf
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. scale — in music
  14. club — for dancing
  15. court — of law
  16. mate — to breed
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. spring — the season
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — a coil
  22. scale — size or range
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bowl — a dish

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