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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. spring — the season
  3. net — in sport
  4. scale — in music
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. net — after costs
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — money
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bore — to tire
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. capital — a city
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spring — of water
  18. bore — to drill
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. net — for catching
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. scale — size or range
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lie — an untruth

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