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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. game — wild animals
  3. scale — size or range
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. squash — the sport
  9. scale — in music
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rule — government
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. game — a match
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pit — a hole
  23. cell — in biology
  24. rule — a law

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