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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. club — for golf
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. march — the month
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. scale — in music
  14. club — for dancing
  15. march — the month
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rash — a series
  18. march — music
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. club — a group
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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