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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fine — all right
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. scale — in music
  8. rash — a series
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. ground — a position
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fine — high quality
  19. march — music
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. coach — a trainer

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