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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cell — a phone
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. swing — to play on
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. scale — in music
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. scale — size or range
  18. swing — music
  19. cell — in biology
  20. swing — in golf
  21. tube — a container
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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