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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. club — for golf
  5. game — a match
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. key — the most important part
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. club — a group
  15. fall — to drop
  16. suit — in cards
  17. ball — a great time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. scale — size or range
  20. suit — clothes
  21. scale — in music
  22. suit — to fit
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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