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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. swing — music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. foot — a measure
  9. scale — size or range
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. race — the arms race
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. race — a contest
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bark — to shout
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. race — humankind
  24. sharp — clever

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