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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · scale · fan · date · drill · mouse · march · perch

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — the month
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. scale — in music
  11. club — a group
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. march — music
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. drill — army training
  19. scale — size or range
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. march — the month
  24. date — on the calendar

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