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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. net — for catching
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. key — in music
  10. cap — a hat
  11. scale — in music
  12. plane — a tool
  13. key — for a lock
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. net — in sport
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — the animal
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. scale — size or range

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