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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. band — a ring
  3. pop — music
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cue — for pool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cue — a hint
  13. drill — army training
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. pop — soda
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. craft — a skill
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wound — an injury
  24. band — a music group

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