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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. scale — size or range
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. drill — the tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. firm — steady
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. net — for catching
  14. firm — decided
  15. net — in sport
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. net — after costs
  18. spring — of water
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bat — the animal

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