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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. club — for golf
  3. net — in sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — after costs
  6. court — of a king
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — for catching
  9. spring — of water
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. ground — the earth
  16. spring — a coil
  17. club — a group
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. court — of law
  21. ground — a position
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. spring — the season
  24. ground — crushed

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