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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. club — a group
  3. tube — the underground
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. club — for golf
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tube — a container
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mate — a partner
  18. club — for dancing
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. court — of a king
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mate — to breed
  23. court — for sport
  24. wind — to turn a key

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