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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rest — what's left
  5. march — music
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rest — a break
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bat — the animal
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. drill — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. march — the month
  17. dip — to sink
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. scale — in music

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