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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. press — to push
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. shower — to wash
  16. perch — the fish
  17. shower — rain
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pitch — completely
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. date — the fruit

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