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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. hand — help
  3. can — a tin
  4. hand — in cards
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. face — to confront
  8. drill — a practice
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. scale — size or range
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — army training
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. can — to be able to
  20. prune — to trim
  21. scale — in music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. drill — the tool

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