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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. field — for sport
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — a subject
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. field — farmland
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. staff — employees
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kid — child
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. scale — for weighing

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