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

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. mine — for digging
  5. net — for catching
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. net — after costs
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. band — a music group
  10. scale — size or range
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. net — in sport
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. band — a ring
  18. nail — for a hammer

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