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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. spring — the season
  6. present — there
  7. tube — the underground
  8. craft — boats
  9. tube — a container
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spring — of water
  12. stock — shares
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. stock — goods
  17. present — the time now
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. spring — a coil
  21. scale — size or range
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. craft — a skill

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