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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 120 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. band — a ring
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. band — a music group
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. scale — size or range
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. scale — in music
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. march — music

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