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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. bat — for baseball
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. game — a match
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. scale — size or range
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. ball — a dance
  11. march — the month
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. march — music
  14. scale — in music
  15. bank — for money
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. game — wild animals
  19. press — a publisher
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — the animal
  22. press — to push
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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