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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. scale — in music
  3. season — of the year
  4. scale — size or range
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. kid — child
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. key — in music
  12. march — music
  13. season — in sport
  14. chest — a box
  15. march — the month
  16. kid — to tease
  17. march — the month
  18. chip — to eat
  19. key — the most important part
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. key — for a lock

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