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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. march — the month
  3. scale — in music
  4. cap — a hat
  5. vault — a safe
  6. net — in sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. march — music
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. field — for sport
  12. scale — size or range
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. march — the month
  20. net — after costs
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. net — for catching
  24. cap — a lid

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