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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — bread
  4. charge — electricity
  5. march — music
  6. charge — in control
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rock — a stone
  11. march — the month
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. rock — music
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. march — the month
  21. charge — a price
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stand — for spectators
  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