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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. roll — a list
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. club — for golf
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. current — of water
  9. club — a group
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. current — happening now
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. tear — to rip
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. current — electric
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. scale — in music
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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