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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. race — the arms race
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pound — a weight
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. race — a contest
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. sharp — clever
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. spring — the season
  15. scale — size or range
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. race — humankind
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. spring — of water
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — a coil
  24. leaves — of a tree

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