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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mark — a grade
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. mark — a trace
  6. scale — in music
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. kid — to tease
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. tear — to rip
  13. kid — child
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. tear — from crying
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. chip — for betting

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