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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bass — low music
  5. charge — in control
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. spring — the season
  9. scale — size or range
  10. charge — a price
  11. spring — of water
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bat — the animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bass — the instrument

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