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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. content — the amount
  3. club — a group
  4. scale — size or range
  5. club — for golf
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. scale — in music
  8. plane — a tool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pound — a weight
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. ball — a dance
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. club — for dancing
  18. content — happy
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. craft — boats
  24. cold — the Cold War

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