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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. kick — in football
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cold — an illness
  11. hand — help
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — in cards
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cold — not warm

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