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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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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: chest · scale · rest · file · foot · march · saw · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. rest — a break
  5. file — a document
  6. scale — in music
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. foot — a measure
  12. chest — a box
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. march — music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. rest — what's left
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. rest — what's left
  22. saw — the tool
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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