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

Word bank: scale · fork · cell · toast · wake · chip · march · last

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. chip — to eat
  4. last — to go on
  5. cell — in biology
  6. toast — bread
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. march — the month
  9. last — finally
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. chip — for betting
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. last — final
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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