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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — for golf
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fork — in a road
  7. court — of law
  8. spell — magic
  9. fall — the season
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. club — a group
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. spell — letters
  21. pit — a hole
  22. court — of a king
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. court — for sport

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