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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spring — the season
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rush — hurry
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. row — to paddle
  12. saw — the tool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. row — a line
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. spring — a coil
  24. scale — for weighing

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