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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. scale — in music
  8. march — music
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pop — soda
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. kick — in football
  19. pop — music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pop — to visit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. scale — size or range

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