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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. content — happy
  5. club — for dancing
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. content — the amount
  13. stock — shares
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. club — for golf
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cue — a signal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stock — goods
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cue — for pool
  24. scale — in music

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