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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. scale — in music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. chip — for betting
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chip — to eat
  11. club — for golf
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hand — help
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. club — for dancing
  17. lean — thin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — a group

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