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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fine — all right
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. scale — in music
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cap — a lid
  12. spell — magic
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. staff — employees
  18. fine — high quality
  19. spell — letters
  20. snap — to click
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wake — a trail

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