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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cap — of ice
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. tube — a container
  12. scale — size or range
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cap — a hat
  16. roll — a cake
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. roll — a list
  21. cap — a lid
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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