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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. march — music
  3. can — to be able to
  4. scale — size or range
  5. ball — a dance
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ball — a great time
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. press — newspapers
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. sharp — clever
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. hand — help
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. scale — in music
  21. march — the month
  22. can — a tin
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. can — a tin

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