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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. march — music
  5. can — to be able to
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. file — a line of people
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. file — a document
  13. march — the month
  14. can — a tin
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — the month
  17. kid — to tease
  18. file — a tool

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