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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. band — a music group
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. tube — a container
  18. game — a match
  19. march — music
  20. lie — to recline
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — employees
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. game — wild animals

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