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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pop — music
  8. roll — a list
  9. pop — soda
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rash — hasty
  12. net — in sport
  13. pass — a permit
  14. roll — a cake
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. land — ground
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. tear — from crying
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. tear — from crying
  21. net — after costs
  22. rash — a series
  23. tear — to rip
  24. net — for catching

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