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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mate — a partner
  4. press — to push
  5. club — a group
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bass — the fish
  11. game — wild animals
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. club — for golf
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rash — hasty
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rash — a series
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bass — low music
  22. cue — for pool
  23. game — a match
  24. rash — on the skin

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