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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. scale — in music
  3. key — in music
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. game — a match
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rash — a series
  14. scale — size or range
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. key — for a lock
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rash — hasty
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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