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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mug — a cup
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. row — a line
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. row — to paddle
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mine — for digging
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. sharp — clever
  15. shower — rain
  16. degree — an amount
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. degree — temperature
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mug — a face
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mug — to rob

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