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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. ground — a position
  4. deal — to handle
  5. perch — the fish
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. row — a line
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wax — to grow
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitch — completely
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. scale — in music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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