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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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. saw — past of 'see'
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. field — a subject
  6. capital — a city
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. saw — the tool
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. pitch — completely
  17. scale — size or range
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tube — the underground
  20. capital — money
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. toast — the most admired

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