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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bound — certain
  7. scale — size or range
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bound — obliged
  10. root — of a plant
  11. spell — letters
  12. wake — a trail
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. craft — a skill
  15. root — of a word
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pit — a hole
  18. root — the cause
  19. bound — tied together
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. kid — child
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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