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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. scale — in music
  4. band — a music group
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. scale — size or range
  10. race — the arms race
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. race — a contest
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cold — not warm
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. march — music
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a ring
  22. march — the month
  23. deal — to handle
  24. race — humankind

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