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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. kid — child
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rock — a stone
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. scale — in music
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. branch — a division
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rock — music
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. scale — size or range
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kid — to tease

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