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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · ball · game · ground · cap · perch · fork · club

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cap — a hat
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cap — a lid
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. scale — in music
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. scale — size or range
  12. game — a match
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ground — a position
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cap — of ice
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. game — wild animals

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