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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fine — all right
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. tube — the underground
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. prune — to trim
  8. scale — size or range
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cell — a phone
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — high quality
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — a container
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cell — in biology
  24. scale — for weighing

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