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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. scale — in music
  3. file — a tool
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rule — a law
  8. pitch — completely
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. file — a line of people
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. tear — from crying
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. file — a document
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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