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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. scale — in music
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pound — a weight
  10. scale — size or range
  11. race — a contest
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. hand — in cards
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fine — all right
  22. race — humankind
  23. hand — help
  24. cabinet — ministers

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