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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bass — low music
  4. spell — letters
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. scale — in music
  7. mug — a cup
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. last — finally
  17. row — a line
  18. fork — in a road
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mug — a face
  24. fork — to eat with

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