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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 120 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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. capital — money
  4. track — to keep track
  5. scale — size or range
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. chest — a box
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. march — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. track — a song
  19. branch — a division
  20. capital — a city
  21. track — a path
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. chest — of your body

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