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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. chip — for betting
  3. key — for a lock
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rock — a stone
  7. key — the most important part
  8. roll — a list
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. key — in music
  12. row — a line
  13. rock — music
  14. roll — a cake
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chip — to eat
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cold — an illness
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. roll — on a roll

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