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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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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: pit · ruler · mate · scale · hand · perch · mine · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. mine — for digging
  4. club — for dancing
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mate — a partner
  9. hand — in cards
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pit — in a race
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. mate — to breed

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