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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. land — a country
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. land — to come down
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. land — ground
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. march — the month
  17. toast — bread
  18. march — music

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