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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.

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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. scale — size or range
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — in music
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. squash — to crush
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cue — for pool
  10. lean — to bend
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cue — a signal
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tear — to rip
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lean — thin

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