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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. drill — a practice
  5. march — music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. scale — in music
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. toast — bread
  11. march — the month
  12. rest — a break
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. drill — army training
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. march — the month
  22. scale — size or range
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — the most admired

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