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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. face — to confront
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pit — a hole
  6. face — to point toward
  7. scale — size or range
  8. face — part of the head
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. scale — in music
  15. march — the month
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. chair — a leader

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