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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. row — a line
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — in music
  6. drill — a practice
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bass — the fish
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bass — low music
  12. drill — the tool
  13. dip — to sink
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. drill — army training
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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