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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ball — a great time
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ball — a dance
  11. sharp — clever
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mine — for digging
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. scale — in music
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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