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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. bat — the animal
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. chest — a box
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. drill — a practice
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — clothes
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. drill — army training
  23. chest — of your body
  24. suit — in cards

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