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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. swing — music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. staff — employees
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. shower — to wash
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bark — to shout
  17. staff — employees
  18. shower — rain
  19. fine — all right
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. court — for sport
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fine — high quality
  24. key — the most important part

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