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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. file — a tool
  3. march — the month
  4. mug — a cup
  5. tube — a container
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. march — music
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. march — the month
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. ball — a great time
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mug — a face
  19. file — a document
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. scale — size or range
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mug — to rob

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