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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. last — finally
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. vault — a safe
  7. last — final
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tube — a container
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. march — the month
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. scale — size or range
  18. snap — to click
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. last — to go on
  21. bound — obliged
  22. march — music
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. march — the month

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