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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stock — shares
  6. spell — letters
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. current — happening now
  10. foot — a measure
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. current — electric
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. current — of water
  24. foot — the bottom

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