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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. club — for dancing
  3. court — of law
  4. march — the month
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. march — music
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. court — of a king
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. perch — the fish
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. swing — in golf
  19. court — for sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — the month
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cue — for pool

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