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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.

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: mine · cap · lie · staff · club · court · file · bulb

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. club — for golf
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. club — for dancing
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mine — for digging
  10. staff — employees
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bulb — for light
  16. court — of law
  17. file — a document
  18. cap — a lid
  19. file — a tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bulb — for light
  24. club — a group

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