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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. court — of law
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. content — happy
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. court — of a king
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lie — to recline
  22. club — for dancing
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. court — for sport

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