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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. scale — in music
  3. rash — a series
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bass — the fish
  17. plane — a tool
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ball — a dance
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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