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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. scale — in music
  3. net — after costs
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pit — a hole
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — for catching
  8. scale — size or range
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stock — shares
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chest — a box
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stock — goods
  22. chest — of your body
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. scale — for weighing

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