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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mark — a trace
  7. object — to protest
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. object — an aim
  12. last — to go on
  13. root — the cause
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. object — a thing
  16. root — of a word
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. deal — to handle
  21. scale — size or range
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. root — of a plant
  24. last — final

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