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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mug — a face
  4. lean — thin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ball — a dance
  9. swing — to play on
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mug — to rob
  17. ground — a position
  18. mug — a cup
  19. swing — in golf
  20. deal — to handle
  21. ground — the earth
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. swing — music
  24. deal — an agreement

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