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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rush — hurry
  4. swing — to play on
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pass — a permit
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. swing — music
  10. net — for catching
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. scale — in music
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. object — to protest
  17. swing — in golf
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. object — an aim
  22. scale — size or range
  23. net — after costs
  24. object — a thing

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