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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. season — of the year
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stem — to come from
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. rule — government
  16. season — in sport
  17. scale — size or range
  18. rule — to rule out

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