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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. scale — size or range
  5. band — a music group
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fall — the season
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. band — a ring
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. fall — to drop
  23. key — in music
  24. fall — to drop

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