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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. key — the most important part
  4. net — in sport
  5. scale — in music
  6. fine — all right
  7. key — in music
  8. net — after costs
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fine — high quality
  14. march — the month
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pit — a hole
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pit — in a race
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. march — music
  22. lie — to recline
  23. net — for catching
  24. march — the month

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