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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rule — a law
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. hand — help
  21. pitch — completely
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rule — government

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