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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. scale — in music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kid — to tease
  6. march — the month
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. lie — to recline
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. march — music
  20. kid — child
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitch — completely
  24. march — the month

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