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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. club — for dancing
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. scale — size or range
  5. ground — a position
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. club — a group
  14. shower — to wash
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. band — a music group
  17. ground — the earth
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. scale — in music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. band — a ring
  23. shower — rain
  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