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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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. march — the month
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. march — music
  6. club — for dancing
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bat — the animal
  13. club — a group
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — boats
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. can — to be able to
  22. club — for golf
  23. mine — for digging
  24. march — the month

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