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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. net — for catching
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. file — a line of people
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lie — to recline
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. net — in sport
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. net — after costs
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. lie — an untruth
  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