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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. can — a tin
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rest — a break
  5. mate — a partner
  6. game — wild animals
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. game — a match
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cold — an illness
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. can — a tin
  20. rash — a series
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mate — to breed
  24. can — to be able to

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