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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. current — of water
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. degree — temperature
  8. current — happening now
  9. squash — to crush
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. squash — the sport
  12. degree — an amount
  13. spell — a short time
  14. current — electric
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. spell — letters
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. degree — from a university
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spell — magic
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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