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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. row — a line
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. lean — thin
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. row — to paddle
  12. roll — a list
  13. staff — employees
  14. scale — size or range
  15. staff — a stick
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. staff — employees
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fork — in a road
  23. lean — to bend
  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