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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. rest — a break
  8. staff — employees
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bat — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. staff — a stick
  24. arm — part of the body

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