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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. ball — a great time
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chip — for betting
  6. club — a group
  7. wound — an injury
  8. craft — a skill
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. scale — in music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. chip — to eat
  14. club — for dancing
  15. ball — a dance
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. club — for golf
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chip — in a computer
  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