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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spring — the season
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. spring — of water
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fine — all right
  9. scale — in music
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. tear — from crying
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. club — a group
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. club — for golf
  19. pitch — completely
  20. net — after costs
  21. club — for dancing
  22. tear — to rip
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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