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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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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: can · scale · ruler · drill · cue · chest · pop · march

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pop — soda
  5. march — the month
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — in music
  8. pop — music
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chest — of your body
  11. march — the month
  12. scale — size or range
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. march — music
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cue — for pool
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. drill — army training
  22. chest — a box
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cue — a hint

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