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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. net — for catching
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. scale — in music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. land — ground
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. roll — a cake
  14. file — a tool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. file — a document
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. scale — size or range
  21. net — after costs
  22. roll — a list
  23. net — in sport
  24. fan — to cool the air

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