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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. scale — in music
  3. land — to come down
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mark — a trace
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mug — to rob
  8. race — humankind
  9. land — ground
  10. race — a contest
  11. mug — a face
  12. land — a country
  13. net — in sport
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mug — a cup
  16. present — the time now
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. net — after costs
  19. present — there
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. net — for catching
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mark — a grade

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