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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. land — to come down
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. charge — electricity
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. charge — a price
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. hand — help
  15. land — a country
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pound — a weight
  20. charge — in control
  21. fork — in a road
  22. land — ground
  23. hand — in cards
  24. scale — size or range

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