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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wake — a trail
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitch — completely
  16. last — finally
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. chip — for betting
  24. last — to go on

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