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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. net — after costs
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — in music
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. net — for catching
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. net — in sport
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bowl — a dish

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