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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. ball — a dance
  3. capital — a city
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. club — for dancing
  7. race — a contest
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. ball — a great time
  17. capital — money
  18. club — for golf
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. race — humankind
  22. kid — child
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. capital — a big letter

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