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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: net · fine · ground · pop · scale · bat · pass · foot

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ground — a position
  3. bat — the animal
  4. net — for catching
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pop — soda
  7. net — after costs
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. scale — in music
  12. ground — the earth
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pop — music
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ground — crushed
  18. net — in sport
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fine — all right
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pass — to spend time

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