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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. craft — a skill
  2. scale — in music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. march — music
  6. drill — a practice
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bass — the fish
  12. drill — army training
  13. march — the month
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — a cake
  16. craft — boats
  17. scale — size or range
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. ground — the earth
  21. march — the month
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. ground — a position
  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