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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. race — the arms race
  5. can — to be able to
  6. club — a group
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. scale — size or range
  10. club — for dancing
  11. scale — in music
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rest — what's left
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. kid — to tease
  17. branch — a division
  18. kid — child
  19. race — a contest
  20. rest — a break
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. race — humankind
  23. rest — what's left
  24. scale — for weighing

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