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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. net — for catching
  4. cap — a lid
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cap — a hat
  7. scale — in music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. band — a music group
  10. net — after costs
  11. cap — of ice
  12. band — a ring
  13. file — a tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. scale — size or range
  16. file — a document
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. can — a tin
  20. row — a line
  21. court — of a king
  22. row — to paddle
  23. net — in sport
  24. can — to be able to

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