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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. net — after costs
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. club — for golf
  5. net — in sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. present — there
  9. can — a tin
  10. wake — a trail
  11. scale — size or range
  12. can — to be able to
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. club — a group
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lean — to bend
  18. present — the time now
  19. can — a tin
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. present — a gift
  23. net — for catching
  24. lean — thin

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