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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — high quality
  5. scale — in music
  6. chip — to eat
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. fine — all right
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chip — for betting
  14. prune — to trim
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ground — a position

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