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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 120 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. game — a match
  3. branch — a division
  4. club — a group
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. scale — in music
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. scale — size or range
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bat — the animal
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. club — for golf
  21. cap — a hat
  22. squash — to crush
  23. club — for dancing
  24. game — wild animals

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