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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wax — to grow
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. drill — army training
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. scale — size or range
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rule — a law
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. scale — in music
  24. wind — moving air

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