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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: club · stick · chest · squash · swing · shower · scale · pit

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. club — for dancing
  3. swing — music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pit — in a race
  11. shower — to wash
  12. squash — to crush
  13. club — a group
  14. scale — in music
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. club — for golf
  18. shower — rain
  19. chest — of your body
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chest — a box
  24. swing — to play on

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