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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — the month
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. season — of the year
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. march — the month
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. march — music
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. season — in sport
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. season — to add flavour

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