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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. current — electric
  3. pop — soda
  4. spring — of water
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. court — of law
  7. current — of water
  8. scale — in music
  9. club — for golf
  10. court — for sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. court — of a king
  13. club — for dancing
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. current — happening now
  20. pop — to visit
  21. can — to be able to
  22. club — a group
  23. pop — music
  24. scale — size or range

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