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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. club — for golf
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. net — for catching
  7. scale — size or range
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. land — to come down
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. club — for dancing
  15. net — after costs
  16. snap — to click
  17. club — a group
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. net — in sport

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