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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. plane — a tool
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. court — of law
  8. land — a country
  9. season — in sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. court — for sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bank — for money
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bank — for money
  20. row — a line
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bank — of a river
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. club — a group

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