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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bass — low music
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. game — a match
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bass — the fish
  18. saw — the 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