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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. content — happy
  3. cue — a hint
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — for sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bank — for money
  22. content — the amount
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bank — of a river

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