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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. current — happening now
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spring — the season
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — of water
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cue — a hint
  11. scale — size or range
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. band — a ring
  14. current — electric
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. spring — of water

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