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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bass — low music
  3. spell — magic
  4. tear — from crying
  5. can — a tin
  6. net — after costs
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. tear — to rip
  9. net — in sport
  10. mark — a trace
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bass — the fish
  13. net — for catching
  14. spell — letters
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. can — a tin
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. can — to be able to
  19. mark — a grade
  20. craft — a skill
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. scale — in music
  24. craft — boats

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