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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ball — a great time
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cell — in biology
  7. scale — in music
  8. rest — a break
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — in sport
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. capital — a city
  17. net — after costs
  18. capital — money
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. net — for catching
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. scale — for weighing

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