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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. last — final
  5. rock — music
  6. scale — in music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stock — goods
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. last — to go on
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. scale — size or range
  21. cold — not warm
  22. last — finally
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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