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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 116 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. content — happy
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. vault — a safe
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. saw — the tool
  11. shower — rain
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. track — to keep track
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. club — for dancing
  20. content — the amount
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. track — a song
  23. shower — to wash
  24. track — a path

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