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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. field — a subject
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rush — hurry
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. band — a music group
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mark — a trace
  15. field — for sport
  16. ball — a great time
  17. scale — in music
  18. spell — letters
  19. mark — a grade
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. field — farmland
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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