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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. game — a match
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fall — to drop
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fall — to drop
  10. club — for golf
  11. mark — a trace
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fall — the season
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. club — a group
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. game — wild animals

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