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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. shower — rain
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. deal — to handle
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. tube — a container
  16. shower — to wash
  17. snap — to click
  18. tube — the underground
  19. staff — employees
  20. net — for catching
  21. staff — a stick
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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