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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. net — in sport
  4. wake — a trail
  5. net — after costs
  6. last — final
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. last — finally
  14. fine — high quality
  15. net — for catching
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bore — to tire
  19. last — to go on
  20. fine — all right
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — a position
  24. bore — to drill

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