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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 116 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. clip — for paper
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. drill — a practice
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — music
  12. scale — in music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. clip — a video
  17. tube — a container
  18. fine — all right
  19. clip — to cut
  20. drill — army training
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. drill — the tool

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