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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. scale — size or range
  7. file — a tool
  8. rule — a law
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. file — a document
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bat — the animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pound — a weight
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rule — government
  24. mouse — for a computer

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