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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: rest · club · stick · ball · cell · sharp · firm · scale

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. club — a group
  4. scale — in music
  5. club — for golf
  6. cell — in biology
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — steady
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. scale — size or range
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cell — a phone
  16. ball — a dance
  17. club — for dancing
  18. ball — a great time
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rest — a break
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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