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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spell — letters
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spell — a short time
  8. drill — army training
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. ball — a dance
  11. kick — in football
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. craft — boats
  14. cell — in biology
  15. craft — a skill
  16. drill — the tool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. spell — magic
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. scale — for weighing

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