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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 124 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bass — low music
  8. spring — the season
  9. club — for golf
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. club — a group
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. court — of a king
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. bass — the fish
  20. track — a song
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. track — a path

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