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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 124 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. key — for a lock
  3. scale — in music
  4. net — for catching
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rule — a law
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rash — a series
  9. key — in music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rash — hasty
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. scale — size or range
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. net — after costs
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. key — the most important part
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. rule — government
  24. fork — to eat with

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