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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · club · scale · game · rest · suit

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rest — what's left
  3. suit — to fit
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. scale — in music
  7. suit — in cards
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. land — a country
  10. game — a match
  11. rest — a break
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. suit — clothes
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. rest — what's left
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — size or range

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