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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 120 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 · game · chip · wax · racket · club · mark · net

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. club — for golf
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. net — for catching
  5. chip — for betting
  6. club — a group
  7. wax — to grow
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. club — for dancing
  12. net — in sport
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. game — a match
  23. net — after costs
  24. racket — a loud noise

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