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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. present — there
  2. scale — in music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wind — moving air
  8. present — a gift
  9. wind — moving air
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — to eat
  14. kick — in football
  15. march — the month
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. present — the time now
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. march — music
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kick — a thrill
  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