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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rock — music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. court — of law
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. last — to go on
  8. bear — the animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. club — for golf
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — for sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rock — to move gently

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