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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. club — a group
  5. march — the month
  6. court — of a king
  7. march — the month
  8. court — of law
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. court — for sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. fork — in a road
  15. march — music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. club — for dancing
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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