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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. scale — in music
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cap — of ice
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cap — a hat
  8. scale — size or range
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. net — for catching
  13. content — the amount
  14. net — in sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. toast — bread
  17. net — after costs
  18. content — happy
  19. capital — money
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wind — moving air
  22. capital — a city
  23. cap — a lid
  24. capital — a big letter

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