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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wound — an injury
  3. staff — employees
  4. club — for golf
  5. mug — a face
  6. staff — a stick
  7. court — of a king
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. court — of law
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — boats
  12. mug — a cup
  13. staff — employees
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. field — farmland
  17. wound — an injury
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. court — for sport
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. root — of a word
  23. mug — to rob
  24. club — for dancing

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