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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. scale — in music
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. kid — child
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. kid — to tease
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. march — music
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spell — magic
  20. stock — shares
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cue — a signal
  23. spell — letters
  24. cell — in a prison

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