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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. scale — in music
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. scale — size or range
  6. kid — child
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. net — for catching
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. row — a line
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. foot — a measure
  22. row — to paddle
  23. kid — to tease
  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