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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. ball — a dance
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pound — a weight
  8. plane — a tool
  9. club — a group
  10. last — final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. staff — employees
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. last — to go on
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. last — finally
  19. staff — employees
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. staff — a stick
  22. club — for dancing
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bowl — to roll

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