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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · court · club · mine · mark · can · prune · file

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. file — a tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. court — of a king
  5. file — a document
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. firm — a company
  10. can — a tin
  11. club — a group
  12. mark — a trace
  13. court — of law
  14. can — to be able to
  15. firm — steady
  16. file — a line of people
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. prune — to trim
  20. can — a tin
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. firm — decided
  23. court — for sport
  24. club — for dancing

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