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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 · hand · club · squash · pound · pop · pitcher · hide

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. club — for golf
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pound — a weight
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hand — help
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. squash — the sport
  21. club — for dancing
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hand — in cards
  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