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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. file — a line of people
  4. scale — in music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. squash — the sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. file — a document
  9. cue — for pool
  10. shower — rain
  11. toast — bread
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. file — a tool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. shower — to wash
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. band — a music group
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cue — a signal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. scale — size or range

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