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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. band — a music group
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. club — a group
  8. game — a match
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rule — government
  11. pound — a weight
  12. club — for dancing
  13. band — a ring
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. craft — a skill
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. craft — boats
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rule — a law
  24. scale — in music

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