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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. net — after costs
  3. game — a match
  4. key — in music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ground — crushed
  8. perch — the fish
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. saw — the tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. net — for catching
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. scale — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fine — all right
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. key — for a lock
  21. fine — high quality
  22. net — in sport
  23. ground — a position
  24. scale — for weighing

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