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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. club — a group
  3. deal — to handle
  4. dip — to sink
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. club — for dancing
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. club — for golf
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. jam — in traffic

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