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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. march — the month
  3. suit — to fit
  4. march — the month
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chest — of your body
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. march — music
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. bass — the fish
  14. suit — clothes
  15. scale — in music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. squash — the sport
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pitch — a sports field

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