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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. ball — a dance
  3. scale — in music
  4. ball — a great time
  5. scale — size or range
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. stem — to come from
  14. last — final
  15. file — a document
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. last — finally
  20. file — a tool
  21. last — to go on
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. scale — for weighing

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