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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 120 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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mark — a grade
  4. scale — in music
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. root — the cause
  7. file — a document
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wind — moving air
  14. file — a line of people
  15. swing — to play on
  16. root — of a word
  17. cold — an illness
  18. root — of a plant
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mark — a trace
  21. swing — music
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. file — a tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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