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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cold — an illness
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. drill — army training
  8. scale — in music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. prune — to trim
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. drill — the tool
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fine — all right

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