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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rock — a stone
  5. row — a line
  6. kid — child
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bore — to tire
  9. land — ground
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. land — a country
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rock — music
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. date — the fruit
  21. land — to come down
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bore — to drill
  24. row — to paddle

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