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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: fine · lean · cell · land · game · scale · craft · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. land — a country
  3. scale — in music
  4. game — a match
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lean — thin
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. craft — boats
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. craft — a skill
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. land — to come down
  21. fine — all right
  22. land — ground
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cell — in biology

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