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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rest — a break
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mark — a grade
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rest — what's left
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. scale — in music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pound — a weight
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rest — what's left
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mark — a trace
  24. field — farmland

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