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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chest — of your body
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lie — to recline
  8. club — for golf
  9. scale — size or range
  10. tear — from crying
  11. game — wild animals
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. tear — to rip
  18. chest — a box
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. tear — from crying
  21. game — a match
  22. scale — in music
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bank — for money

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