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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. game — a match
  3. mug — a cup
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rock — a stone
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mug — to rob
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mug — a face
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rock — music
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. row — to paddle
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ground — the earth
  24. row — a line

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