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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. capital — a city
  3. club — for dancing
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — shares
  9. march — music
  10. stock — goods
  11. capital — money
  12. court — of a king
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. club — a group
  16. prune — to trim
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. march — the month
  19. suit — to fit
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. suit — clothes
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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