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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.

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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. chest — of your body
  3. race — a contest
  4. scale — in music
  5. pit — a hole
  6. row — to paddle
  7. chest — of your body
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. row — a line
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pit — in a race
  17. race — humankind
  18. chest — a box

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