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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: board · club · bowl · court · cap · scale · deal · file

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. scale — in music
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cap — a lid
  6. club — for dancing
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. court — of a king
  10. file — a document
  11. cap — of ice
  12. file — a tool
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. court — for sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. court — of law
  17. board — a committee
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. scale — size or range
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cap — a hat
  24. board — a flat piece

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