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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. scale — in music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. content — happy
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mark — a grade
  15. game — wild animals
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. row — to paddle
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. game — a match

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