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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cold — an illness
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. row — to paddle
  9. last — finally
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. row — a line
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cue — a signal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. can — a tin
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. last — to go on
  20. cue — a hint
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. nail — for a hammer

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