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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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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. scale — in music
  3. cold — an illness
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ground — the earth
  6. staff — employees
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cold — not warm
  14. staff — employees
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. scale — size or range
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hand — help
  24. staff — a stick

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