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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. club — for golf
  5. shower — rain
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. firm — decided
  10. wind — moving air
  11. firm — steady
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — for digging
  14. scale — in music
  15. firm — a company
  16. club — for dancing
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. club — a group
  19. scale — size or range
  20. shower — to wash
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. date — on the calendar

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