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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. march — the month
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bank — for money
  11. foot — a measure
  12. land — a country
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bank — for money
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. scale — size or range
  17. rule — a law
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rule — government
  20. bank — of a river
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. march — the month
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. march — music

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