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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rule — a law
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. fine — all right
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rule — government
  20. race — humankind
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. race — a contest
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cap — of ice

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