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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. band — a ring
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pop — soda
  7. game — a match
  8. last — finally
  9. scale — size or range
  10. lean — thin
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. game — wild animals
  19. band — a music group
  20. pop — music
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. last — final
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. last — to go on

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