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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. march — the month
  5. mug — to rob
  6. scale — size or range
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. march — music
  11. scale — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. key — in music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bat — the animal
  20. band — a ring
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. march — the month
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mug — a face

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