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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. prune — to trim
  5. kid — to tease
  6. scale — in music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. prune — to trim
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. can — a tin
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fork — in a road
  16. can — a tin
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. toast — bread
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. kid — child
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cell — a phone

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