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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. march — the month
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. march — the month
  12. bat — the animal
  13. spell — letters
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stand — to bear
  16. spell — magic
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. spell — a short time
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. march — music
  22. scale — in music
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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