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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. scale — size or range
  3. swing — in golf
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bank — for money
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bank — for money
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cue — a hint
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cue — a signal
  19. scale — in music
  20. swing — music
  21. bank — of a river
  22. game — a match
  23. bat — the animal
  24. swing — to play on

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