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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. hand — in cards
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. file — a document
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spring — the season
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. net — for catching

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