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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: club · pitcher · scale · rush · band · current · toast · chest

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. scale — in music
  3. rush — hurry
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. band — a ring
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. band — a music group
  15. chest — of your body
  16. club — for golf
  17. current — electric
  18. chest — of your body
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. toast — bread
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. chest — a box

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