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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: ball · scale · club · arm · cap · mug · current · hand

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. current — of water
  7. hand — help
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mug — a face
  10. club — a group
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mug — a cup
  14. current — happening now
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. club — for dancing
  18. scale — in music
  19. mug — to rob
  20. club — for golf
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. current — electric
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hand — in cards

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