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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. can — a tin
  3. scale — size or range
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — in music
  6. mark — a grade
  7. squash — the sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. squash — to crush
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. tear — to rip
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mark — a trace
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cap — of ice
  24. sharp — exactly

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