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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wound — an injury
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cap — a lid
  7. content — the amount
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. club — a group
  13. content — happy
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. club — for golf
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. scale — in music
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. shower — rain
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — for dancing

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