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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. staff — a stick
  4. scale — in music
  5. rule — a law
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ground — crushed
  8. staff — employees
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rule — government
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. staff — employees
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. pitcher — a jug

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