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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: fork · scale · net · ball · game · band · shower · object

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. ball — a dance
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ball — a great time
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. object — a thing
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. shower — rain
  11. object — to protest
  12. net — in sport
  13. fork — in a road
  14. band — a music group
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. game — a match
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. object — an aim
  20. net — after costs
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. net — for catching

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