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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lean — to bend
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lean — thin
  5. hand — help
  6. scale — in music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pound — a weight
  9. spring — of water
  10. ball — a dance
  11. scale — size or range
  12. club — a group
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spring — the season
  23. fine — all right
  24. hand — part of the body

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