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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bound — tied together
  4. march — the month
  5. swing — music
  6. pit — a hole
  7. scale — size or range
  8. net — in sport
  9. race — a contest
  10. march — music
  11. net — for catching
  12. race — humankind
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. swing — to play on
  15. race — the arms race
  16. march — the month
  17. content — the amount
  18. swing — in golf
  19. net — after costs
  20. content — happy
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. scale — in music
  24. pit — in a race

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