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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. toast — bread
  4. spring — the season
  5. race — humankind
  6. spring — a coil
  7. game — wild animals
  8. spring — of water
  9. root — of a plant
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cue — a signal
  12. scale — size or range
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bulb — for light
  15. root — the cause
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — a match
  19. root — of a word
  20. race — a contest
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. cue — for pool
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bulb — of a plant

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