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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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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: last · club · spring · game · safe · court · ball · mark

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. game — a match
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. spring — the season
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. last — final
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spring — of water
  10. ball — a dance
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. court — of law
  13. spring — a coil
  14. club — a group
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. court — for sport
  18. game — wild animals
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. court — of a king
  24. ball — a great time

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