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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mug — to rob
  3. court — for sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. club — a group
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cold — an illness
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mug — a face
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mug — a cup
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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