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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 124 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. scale — in music
  4. file — a tool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. kid — to tease
  8. file — a document
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cue — a hint
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cap — of ice
  14. kid — child
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cap — a lid
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bass — the fish
  19. prune — to trim
  20. file — a line of people
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cap — a hat
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cue — for pool

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