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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. spring — the season
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. object — a thing
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. ball — a great time
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ball — a dance
  11. object — an aim
  12. shower — rain
  13. craft — a skill
  14. club — for dancing
  15. press — to push
  16. object — to protest
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spring — of water
  19. club — a group
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. craft — boats
  23. press — a publisher
  24. spring — a coil

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