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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. scale — in music
  3. race — humankind
  4. bat — the animal
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. race — a contest
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — music
  13. charge — in control
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tube — a container
  16. charge — electricity
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. charge — a price
  22. race — the arms race
  23. vault — a safe
  24. march — the month

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