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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. row — a line
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — for digging
  6. last — to go on
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. last — final
  11. lean — thin
  12. scale — size or range
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. charge — electricity
  19. chest — of your body
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. last — finally
  22. charge — in control
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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