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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. scale — in music
  2. ball — a dance
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. net — after costs
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. scale — size or range
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. present — a gift
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. net — in sport
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. net — for catching
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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