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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rest — what's left
  9. present — a gift
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. fine — all right
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitch — completely
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. present — the time now
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. net — after costs
  23. fine — high quality
  24. present — there

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