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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rest — what's left
  6. last — final
  7. shower — rain
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. field — a subject
  12. rest — what's left
  13. last — finally
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ball — a dance
  17. field — for sport
  18. scale — in music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. last — to go on
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. field — farmland

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