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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. suit — in cards
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bat — the animal
  7. file — a document
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wound — an injury
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. file — a tool
  18. squash — the sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wound — an injury
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bark — to shout
  24. scale — size or range

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