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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pit — a hole
  6. scale — in music
  7. rest — a break
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. tear — to rip
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pit — in a race
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rest — what's left
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tear — from crying

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