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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. scale — size or range
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. club — for dancing
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. net — for catching
  9. scale — in music
  10. net — in sport
  11. perch — the fish
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. club — for golf
  15. rash — hasty
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — a series
  19. can — a tin
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — after costs
  23. can — a tin
  24. perch — for a bird

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