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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mug — a face
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ball — a great time
  11. swing — to play on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — letters
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ball — a dance
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mug — to rob
  21. scale — size or range
  22. game — a match
  23. swing — music
  24. ball — a round shape

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