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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. plane — a tool
  4. scale — size or range
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — after costs
  7. cold — not warm
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ball — a great time
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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