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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. spring — of water
  4. track — a song
  5. fine — all right
  6. rash — a series
  7. track — to keep track
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. track — a path
  11. spring — the season
  12. dip — to sink
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. spring — a coil
  19. march — the month
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. scale — in music
  23. fine — high quality
  24. scale — size or range

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