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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · game · can · wound · scale · kid · march · bowl

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. scale — size or range
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. scale — in music
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. can — a tin
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. kid — child
  22. game — wild animals
  23. can — a tin
  24. kid — to tease

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