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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. chip — to eat
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. kick — in football
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chip — for betting
  20. craft — a skill
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. craft — boats
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ruler — for measuring

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