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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cell — a phone
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. bass — low music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bass — the fish
  11. scale — in music
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cap — a lid
  14. land — ground
  15. pop — music
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pop — soda
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cap — a hat

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