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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 · cell · scale · bay · club · game · content · tube

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. scale — size or range
  4. shower — to wash
  5. tube — a container
  6. scale — in music
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. shower — rain
  10. content — the amount
  11. game — a match
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cell — a phone
  17. club — a group
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. club — for golf
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. game — wild animals
  24. club — for dancing

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