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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fine — all right
  9. club — a group
  10. pop — music
  11. hand — help
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. scale — size or range
  18. suit — to fit
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chip — to eat
  21. suit — clothes
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fine — high quality
  24. scale — in music

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