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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. land — ground
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. land — a country
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. tear — to rip
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. land — to come down
  14. scale — size or range
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lean — thin
  20. wake — a trail
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. sharp — clever
  24. lean — to rest against

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