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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. club — for golf
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pitch — completely
  8. court — of law
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. spell — magic
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. court — of a king
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. club — for dancing
  16. branch — a division
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. club — a group
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. spell — a short time
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. spell — letters

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