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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cell — in biology
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rule — government
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. scale — in music
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rule — a law
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. kid — to tease
  15. club — for golf
  16. scale — size or range
  17. club — a group
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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