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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. drill — army training
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mark — a trace
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. scale — in music
  9. mark — a grade
  10. club — for golf
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bat — the animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. club — for dancing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. hand — help
  23. club — a group
  24. leaves — lets stay

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