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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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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: club · mug · scale · net · land · object · rash · bowl

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. club — a group
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. land — to come down
  9. mug — to rob
  10. object — a thing
  11. rash — hasty
  12. object — an aim
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. club — for dancing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. net — for catching
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — ground
  22. object — to protest
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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