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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. race — a contest
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fork — in a road
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — in cards
  7. scale — size or range
  8. staff — a stick
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cold — not warm
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. can — a tin
  17. suit — to fit
  18. race — humankind
  19. can — to be able to
  20. scale — in music
  21. staff — employees
  22. race — the arms race
  23. can — a tin
  24. cold — an illness

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