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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pit — a hole
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cold — not warm
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. kid — child
  14. bark — to shout
  15. scale — in music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pit — in a race
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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