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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chest — a box
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. net — for catching
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. sharp — clever
  20. spell — letters
  21. net — after costs
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. scale — in music

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