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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. scale — size or range
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. scale — in music
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. content — happy
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cue — a hint
  21. content — the amount
  22. fall — the season
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fall — to drop

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