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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. land — to come down
  3. scale — in music
  4. key — in music
  5. face — to confront
  6. land — a country
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. face — part of the head
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mark — a grade
  20. land — ground
  21. face — to point toward
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. tube — a container
  24. mouse — the animal

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