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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rest — what's left
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. tube — a container
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. march — music
  14. cell — in biology
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. scale — in music
  17. tube — the underground
  18. club — for golf
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. march — the month
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. club — a group
  24. march — the month

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