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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cell — in biology
  4. scale — in music
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. march — music
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. saw — the tool
  16. toast — bread
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. march — the month
  20. kick — in football
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. march — the month

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