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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. march — the month
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — in music
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. game — a match
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. game — wild animals
  19. ball — a dance
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. march — music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. nail — on a finger

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