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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. scale — in music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wake — a trail
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. content — happy
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rock — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. march — the month
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. kid — to tease
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. kid — child
  20. scale — size or range
  21. content — the amount
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cell — in biology

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