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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cell — a phone
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. band — a ring
  7. scale — in music
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. perch — the fish
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. key — for a lock
  17. band — a music group
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. saw — the tool
  20. scale — size or range
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cabinet — ministers

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