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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. chip — to eat
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spell — a short time
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. scale — size or range
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. spell — letters
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. game — a match
  13. spell — magic
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — for betting
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — in cards
  19. stem — to come from
  20. march — the month
  21. suit — to fit
  22. march — music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stem — of a plant

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