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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fine — all right
  5. march — music
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. content — the amount
  15. mark — a trace
  16. content — happy
  17. mark — a grade
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. pound — to hit hard

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