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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · wake · key · scale · mouse · date · net · staff

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. net — in sport
  4. cap — a lid
  5. net — after costs
  6. cap — a hat
  7. staff — employees
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. staff — a stick
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. net — for catching
  15. scale — in music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. key — the most important part
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cap — of ice

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