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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rash — a series
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. capital — a city
  7. rash — hasty
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. band — a music group
  14. capital — money
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bore — to drill
  18. scale — size or range
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. net — in sport
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pit — in a race

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