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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. scale — in music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. content — happy
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. content — the amount

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