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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pop — soda
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a document
  5. march — music
  6. pop — music
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wake — a trail
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. kick — in football
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — the month
  22. file — a tool
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. scale — in music

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