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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a ring
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. band — a music group
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chip — to eat
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. deal — a big deal

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