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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. net — for catching
  3. march — the month
  4. fine — all right
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. march — the month
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cap — a hat
  9. hand — help
  10. scale — in music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cap — a lid
  14. march — music
  15. file — a tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. suit — in cards
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cap — of ice

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