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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. band — a ring
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — size or range
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. march — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a music group
  16. cue — a hint
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cue — for pool
  19. chip — for betting
  20. snap — to click
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. scale — in music
  24. rest — a break

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