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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. club — a group
  3. present — there
  4. scale — in music
  5. firm — a company
  6. present — the time now
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. file — a document
  9. firm — steady
  10. file — a line of people
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. firm — decided
  14. cell — a phone
  15. file — a tool
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. present — a gift
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. cell — in biology

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