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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. scale — in music
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fall — the season
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fall — to drop
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. file — a tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. swing — music
  12. file — a document
  13. scale — size or range
  14. file — a line of people
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. key — for a lock
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lean — thin
  23. key — the most important part
  24. swing — to play on

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