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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. scale — in music
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. scale — size or range
  5. object — a thing
  6. spell — magic
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. object — an aim
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. spell — letters
  23. object — to protest
  24. snap — to click

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