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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. face — to confront
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. scale — size or range
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cold — an illness
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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