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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ball — a great time
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. land — ground
  5. lean — to bend
  6. scale — in music
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. land — to come down
  13. hand — in cards
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. land — a country
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lean — thin
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fine — all right
  24. hand — help

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