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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. race — a contest
  6. can — a tin
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. race — humankind
  9. march — music
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. can — a tin
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — for light
  15. can — to be able to
  16. march — the month
  17. race — the arms race
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bulb — for light
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. toast — bread
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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