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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bass — low music
  3. rule — a law
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — for a lock
  7. net — in sport
  8. scale — in music
  9. net — for catching
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. key — in music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pound — a weight
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. net — after costs
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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