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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. scale — size or range
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. scale — in music
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rock — a stone
  11. key — in music
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cell — in biology
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. cell — a phone

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