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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rest — what's left
  7. club — a group
  8. scale — in music
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rest — a break
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. shower — rain
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. scale — size or range
  15. current — of water
  16. club — for golf
  17. squash — to crush
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. squash — the sport
  24. ruler — a monarch

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