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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 116 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. club — for golf
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. scale — size or range
  8. club — for dancing
  9. squash — to crush
  10. club — a group
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. suit — clothes
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. suit — in cards

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