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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. track — to keep track
  4. club — for dancing
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. court — for sport
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. band — a ring
  10. club — for golf
  11. band — a music group
  12. mug — a cup
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mug — a face
  17. club — a group
  18. court — of law
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mug — to rob
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. sharp — clever

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