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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tear — from crying
  3. march — the month
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. march — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. march — the month
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rest — a break
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. scale — in music

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