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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. game — a match
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bear — the animal
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bear — the animal
  7. key — for a lock
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for golf
  10. ground — a position
  11. game — wild animals
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. ground — crushed
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cell — a phone
  24. key — in music

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