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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pop — music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. present — there
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rule — government
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rule — a law
  12. face — to confront
  13. scale — size or range
  14. present — the time now
  15. scale — in music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. present — a gift
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cold — not warm
  24. face — to point toward

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