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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wax — to grow
  10. staff — employees
  11. court — of law
  12. hand — help
  13. club — for golf
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. court — of a king
  20. hand — in cards
  21. court — for sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. hand — part of the body

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