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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. scale — in music
  3. cap — a hat
  4. march — the month
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mark — a grade
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kid — child
  20. cap — of ice
  21. swing — music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. march — music
  24. cap — a lid

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