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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rest — what's left
  5. shower — rain
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. scale — in music
  9. club — for golf
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. club — a group
  17. ball — a dance
  18. shower — to wash
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. scale — size or range
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ball — a great time
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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