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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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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. spell — letters
  3. current — electric
  4. net — for catching
  5. march — the month
  6. scale — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. net — after costs
  10. spell — magic
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mark — a trace
  15. current — happening now
  16. net — in sport
  17. current — of water
  18. scale — for weighing

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