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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: pop · bowl · club · arm · drill · court · wound · last

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. court — of law
  4. club — for golf
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. last — to go on
  9. pop — to visit
  10. club — for dancing
  11. last — final
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — of a king
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. last — finally
  22. court — for sport
  23. drill — army training
  24. arm — part of the body

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