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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. charge — a price
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stock — goods
  5. charge — electricity
  6. scale — size or range
  7. charge — in control
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. drill — the tool
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. wax — to grow
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. stock — shares
  19. track — a song
  20. scale — in music
  21. pop — soda
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — 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