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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wind — moving air
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. hand — help
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. key — for a lock
  10. net — for catching
  11. hand — in cards
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mug — a face
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. mug — to rob
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pass — a permit
  21. key — in music
  22. net — in sport
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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