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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. band — a music group
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cell — in biology
  8. sharp — clever
  9. capital — a city
  10. court — of law
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. band — a ring
  15. scale — in music
  16. court — for sport
  17. capital — money
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. court — of a king
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cell — a phone
  23. sharp — exactly
  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