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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. spell — magic
  4. bat — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. row — to paddle
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spell — letters
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spring — the season
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. row — a line
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — of water
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. swing — music
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. swing — in golf
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. temple — a place of worship

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