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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: scale · bat · safe · roll · spell · club · jam · coach

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. club — for golf
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. roll — a cake
  6. club — for dancing
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. roll — a list
  13. spell — a short time
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. spell — letters
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. scale — in music
  20. spell — magic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. club — a group

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