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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. scale — in music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. craft — a skill
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. march — the month
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fine — all right
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. craft — boats
  19. scale — size or range
  20. march — the month
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fine — high quality

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