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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. present — the time now
  7. clip — to cut
  8. present — there
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ground — the earth
  12. net — in sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. net — after costs
  15. ground — a position
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — for catching
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. root — the cause
  21. present — a gift
  22. clip — a video
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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