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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mark — a trace
  3. club — for golf
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. net — after costs
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. club — a group
  8. date — the fruit
  9. net — in sport
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — in sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. capital — money
  15. season — of the year
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. capital — a city
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mark — a grade
  20. ball — a great time
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. ball — a dance

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