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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. face — to confront
  8. fine — all right
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. face — to point toward
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. face — part of the head
  20. scale — in music
  21. branch — a division
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pit — a hole
  24. branch — of a bank

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