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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. march — the month
  3. land — a country
  4. perch — the fish
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. march — the month
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mine — for digging
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. march — music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. scale — size or range
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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