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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: shower · jam · scale · club · cold · pit · mouse · board

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. club — for golf
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. club — a group
  10. shower — rain
  11. board — to get on
  12. cold — an illness
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pit — in a race
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. board — a committee
  18. cold — not warm
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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