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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. kid — to tease
  8. root — of a plant
  9. firm — decided
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. firm — steady
  12. root — of a word
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. club — for golf
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. firm — a company
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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