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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. net — after costs
  3. wake — a trail
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. kid — to tease
  7. squash — to crush
  8. scale — in music
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. kid — child
  12. object — a thing
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. squash — the sport
  22. scale — size or range
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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