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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. march — the month
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. degree — from a university
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. march — music
  12. drill — a practice
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. march — the month
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. deal — to handle
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. drill — army training
  23. degree — an amount
  24. deal — a big deal

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