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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. suit — in cards
  4. scale — in music
  5. current — happening now
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. suit — to fit
  9. march — the month
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. current — of water
  12. march — music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — electric
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mate — a partner
  20. march — the month
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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