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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. chest — a box
  4. land — ground
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bat — the animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. prune — to trim
  14. land — to come down
  15. pop — soda
  16. chest — of your body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. land — a country
  24. scale — size or range

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