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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. net — after costs
  3. rule — government
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rule — a law
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. net — in sport
  12. foot — a measure
  13. scale — in music
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bulb — for light
  16. face — to confront
  17. bulb — for light
  18. net — for catching
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bowl — a football final

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