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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rock — music
  5. roll — a cake
  6. tube — a container
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. scale — size or range
  9. game — a match
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rock — a stone
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. roll — a list
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird

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