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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.

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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cap — a hat
  3. dip — to sink
  4. court — for sport
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. club — a group
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. scale — in music
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. court — of law
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. club — for golf
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. court — of a king
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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