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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rest — what's left
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. scale — in music
  8. rest — a break
  9. rush — hurry
  10. net — in sport
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rest — what's left
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. net — for catching
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. foot — a measure
  21. net — after costs
  22. ball — a great time
  23. mine — an explosive
  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