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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. club — a group
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. roll — a list
  14. mine — for digging
  15. club — for golf
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rule — a law
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. scale — for weighing

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