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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — to breed
  11. scale — in music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. file — a document
  14. fall — to drop
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fall — to drop
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. file — a tool
  23. fall — the season
  24. coach — a trainer

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