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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fine — all right
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bank — for money
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ground — a position
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mug — a face
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fine — high quality
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bank — for money
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cap — a hat

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