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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. club — for golf
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fall — the season
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a great time
  8. court — for sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. club — for dancing
  11. court — of a king
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fall — to drop
  14. march — music
  15. court — of law
  16. club — a group
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. march — the month
  24. fall — to drop

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