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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. band — a music group
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. band — a ring
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. craft — a skill
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. game — a match
  20. scale — in music
  21. craft — boats
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lash — an eyelash

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