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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: mark · deal · shower · club · field · arm · scale · kid

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. field — a subject
  3. shower — rain
  4. club — for golf
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. club — a group
  7. mark — a trace
  8. kid — to tease
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. club — for dancing
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. kid — child
  17. scale — size or range
  18. shower — to wash
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mark — a grade
  21. scale — in music
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. scale — for weighing

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