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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mate — a friend
  6. scale — in music
  7. hand — help
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. net — after costs
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — for catching
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — in sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mate — to breed

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