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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. current — of water
  3. scale — size or range
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. net — in sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. current — electric
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. net — after costs
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. current — happening now
  20. rash — a series
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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