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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. file — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. plane — a tool
  7. court — for sport
  8. scale — size or range
  9. sharp — clever
  10. deal — to handle
  11. charge — a price
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. charge — electricity
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. charge — in control
  17. court — of law
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. net — for catching
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. court — of a king
  24. plane — an aircraft

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