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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — in music
  3. lean — thin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mug — a cup
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. net — after costs
  8. mug — a face
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rule — a law
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. season — of the year
  17. net — in sport
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lean — to bend
  24. season — in sport

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