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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. scale — size or range
  7. squash — to crush
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. land — to come down
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cold — an illness
  17. scale — in music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. land — a country
  20. squash — the sport
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pass — a permit
  24. land — ground

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