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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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 — in music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. content — happy
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wound — an injury
  8. net — in sport
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mine — for digging
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. net — for catching
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — the amount
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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