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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. board — to get on
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. scale — size or range
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mark — a grade
  12. net — in sport
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. board — a committee
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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