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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bat — the animal
  3. ground — crushed
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rest — a break
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. court — of a king
  8. chair — a leader
  9. court — of law
  10. craft — a skill
  11. ground — the earth
  12. club — a group
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ground — a position
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. court — for sport
  21. craft — boats
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. club — for dancing

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