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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. race — humankind
  3. net — in sport
  4. drill — a practice
  5. hand — help
  6. scale — in music
  7. can — a tin
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. race — a contest
  11. can — a tin
  12. ball — a great time
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ball — a dance
  15. drill — army training
  16. net — for catching
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. drill — the tool
  20. can — to be able to
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. net — after costs

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