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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — the month
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. scale — size or range
  8. clip — for paper
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wax — to grow
  11. clip — a video
  12. scale — in music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. clip — to cut
  16. roll — a cake
  17. march — music
  18. wax — for sculpting

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