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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 124 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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. club — a group
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fall — to drop
  8. scale — size or range
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. roll — a cake
  11. club — for golf
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. fall — to drop
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. roll — a list
  18. fall — the season
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. club — for dancing
  23. scale — in music
  24. craft — boats

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