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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. present — a gift
  3. scale — in music
  4. present — the time now
  5. spring — the season
  6. saw — the tool
  7. key — in music
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. key — for a lock
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rest — a break
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rest — what's left
  16. present — there
  17. spring — of water
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. saw — the tool
  24. scale — size or range

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