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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. club — for golf
  3. scale — in music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. ground — the earth
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. net — for catching
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. net — after costs
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. root — the cause
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. root — of a word
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. net — in sport
  22. scale — size or range
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. root — of a plant

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