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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. scale — in music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. track — a song
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. capital — a city
  8. spring — the season
  9. board — a committee
  10. capital — money
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. spring — a coil
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. board — to get on
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spring — of water
  24. mouse — the animal

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