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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 120 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. court — for sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. present — the time now
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. present — a gift
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. fall — to drop
  17. scale — size or range
  18. present — there
  19. court — of law
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. court — of a king
  24. fall — the season

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