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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chest — a box
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bound — certain
  5. chest — of your body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. march — music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rash — hasty
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. scale — in music
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cue — for pool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rash — a series

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