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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.

Make a worksheet

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: kid · court · object · mug · club · game · fan · pound

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mug — a face
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — wild animals
  7. court — of law
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mug — to rob
  10. club — for golf
  11. court — for sport
  12. pound — a weight
  13. kid — to tease
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. object — an aim
  16. kid — child
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. object — to protest
  23. court — of a king
  24. object — a thing

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