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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — hurry
  4. key — in music
  5. firm — steady
  6. key — for a lock
  7. firm — decided
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. fork — in a road
  13. scale — in music
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. key — the most important part
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rash — a series
  21. firm — a company
  22. cold — not warm
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rash — hasty

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