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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  3. rock — music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. press — to push
  6. cell — a phone
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bound — certain
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. track — a path
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. press — newspapers
  20. track — a song
  21. scale — size or range
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  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