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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. court — for sport
  3. ball — a great time
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stock — goods
  7. swing — music
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cue — a hint
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. club — a group
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cue — a signal
  14. club — for golf
  15. stock — shares
  16. court — of a king
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cue — for pool
  20. court — of law
  21. shower — rain
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. shower — to wash
  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