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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: club · last · date · arm · game · roll · key · court

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. court — of a king
  3. key — in music
  4. club — for dancing
  5. last — final
  6. roll — a list
  7. date — the fruit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. court — for sport
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. key — the most important part
  14. roll — a cake
  15. court — of law
  16. key — for a lock
  17. club — a group
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. last — to go on
  20. game — a match
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. last — finally
  23. game — wild animals
  24. club — for golf

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