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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 120 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. scale — in music
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. land — to come down
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fine — high quality
  9. craft — a skill
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. craft — boats
  17. scale — size or range
  18. rest — a break
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. root — of a plant
  23. shower — rain
  24. nail — for a hammer

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