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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rest — what's left
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. season — of the year
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. pop — soda
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rest — a break
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. pitch — completely
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pop — music
  21. club — for golf
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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