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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. scale — in music
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cold — not warm
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pit — a hole
  9. file — a tool
  10. cold — an illness
  11. file — a document
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fine — all right
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. club — for golf

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