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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. scale — in music
  5. net — for catching
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. net — after costs
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rock — a stone
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rush — hurry
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. net — in sport

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