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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. capital — a city
  4. bass — low music
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stem — to come from
  11. capital — money
  12. scale — size or range
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. season — in sport
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rule — a law
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. plane — a tool
  20. row — a line
  21. season — of the year
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stem — a stem cell

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