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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cold — not warm
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. scale — in music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wound — an injury
  12. can — a tin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cold — an illness
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rush — a thrill

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