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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 120 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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 — in music
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. scale — size or range
  8. march — the month
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wind — moving air
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. stock — shares
  13. wind — moving air
  14. march — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. march — the month
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cap — a lid
  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