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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — a box
  4. march — music
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. scale — size or range
  10. key — in music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. key — for a lock
  18. roll — a cake
  19. march — the month
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. chest — of your body
  23. scale — in music
  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