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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a ring
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. court — for sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. court — of law
  15. band — a music group
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. scale — in music
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. court — of a king
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stand — to bear

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