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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. spring — of water
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. deal — to handle
  6. spring — the season
  7. net — after costs
  8. object — an aim
  9. sharp — clever
  10. net — for catching
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. object — a thing
  16. mark — a trace
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. net — in sport
  20. tear — to rip
  21. object — to protest
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. scale — size or range

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