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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bound — certain
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bound — obliged
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rock — a stone
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — tied together
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. shower — rain
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rock — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitcher — a jug

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