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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. hand — help
  3. scale — in music
  4. fall — the season
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. current — electric
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pound — a weight
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. spring — of water
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fine — all right
  16. fall — to drop
  17. current — happening now
  18. spring — the season
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. current — of water
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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