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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: sharp · snap · march · fine · net · wake · game · scale

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. net — after costs
  3. scale — size or range
  4. net — for catching
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. sharp — clever
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. scale — in music
  9. snap — to click
  10. wake — a trail
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. march — the month
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. net — in sport
  21. fine — all right
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. game — a match
  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