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

Word bank: race · club · scale · pit · bass · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. race — a contest
  4. bass — the fish
  5. scale — in music
  6. club — for golf
  7. pit — a hole
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bass — low music
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pit — in a race
  15. club — a group
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. race — humankind

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