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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. scale — in music
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. scale — size or range
  7. march — the month
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. roll — a list
  15. shower — rain
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. shower — to wash

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