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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. kid — to tease
  3. scale — size or range
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. club — for dancing
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — to play on
  8. club — for golf
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. swing — music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cap — of ice
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. kid — child
  20. cap — a lid
  21. scale — in music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cap — a hat
  24. scale — for weighing

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