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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 120 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pit — in a race
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. march — the month
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. drill — army training
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. scale — in music
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. drill — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pit — a hole
  20. march — music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. drill — a practice

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