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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 · chip · season · mark · shower · club · kid · land

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. club — for golf
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. kid — to tease
  5. shower — to wash
  6. chip — to eat
  7. land — to come down
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chip — for betting
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mark — a grade
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mark — a trace
  15. season — of the year
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. season — in sport
  18. scale — in music
  19. shower — rain
  20. kid — child
  21. land — a country
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. land — ground
  24. club — a group

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