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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. date — the fruit
  3. march — the month
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. march — music
  11. shower — rain
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. march — the month
  18. suit — clothes
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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