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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. toast — bread
  3. court — of law
  4. cold — an illness
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. court — for sport
  11. drill — the tool
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. court — of a king
  14. cue — a signal
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cue — for pool
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tube — a container
  19. drill — a practice
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cue — a hint
  23. drill — army training
  24. temple — a place of worship

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