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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 116 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. key — for a lock
  5. scale — in music
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. present — a gift
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. present — the time now
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. key — the most important part
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. key — in music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. present — there
  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