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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. craft — a skill
  6. degree — from a university
  7. hand — help
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. firm — decided
  11. degree — temperature
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. scale — in music
  14. craft — boats
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rule — government
  19. hand — in cards
  20. deal — to handle
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wound — an injury
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. scale — for weighing

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