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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rush — hurry
  7. swing — music
  8. hand — in cards
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fall — the season
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fall — to drop
  14. scale — in music
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fall — to drop
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. roll — a list
  20. squash — the sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hand — help
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rush — to hurry

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