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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pass — a permit
  5. club — for golf
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. club — for dancing
  16. scale — in music
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. club — a group
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bear — 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