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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. court — of a king
  3. club — a group
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cap — of ice
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. staff — a stick
  10. scale — in music
  11. lean — thin
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. court — of law
  17. staff — employees
  18. club — for golf
  19. court — for sport
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. staff — employees
  24. cap — a lid

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