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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. scale — size or range
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pop — music
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pop — to visit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. scale — in music
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rash — a series
  19. tear — from crying
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pop — soda

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