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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. board — to get on
  4. cell — a phone
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. scale — in music
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. net — after costs
  14. cell — in biology
  15. scale — size or range
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. sharp — clever
  23. file — a document
  24. board — a committee

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