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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. net — for catching
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bound — tied together
  5. scale — size or range
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. scale — in music
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bound — certain
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. net — in sport
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. spell — magic
  18. lie — to recline
  19. ground — a position
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. net — after costs
  22. ground — the earth
  23. spell — letters
  24. bound — obliged

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