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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 124 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. present — the time now
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. last — to go on
  8. land — ground
  9. present — there
  10. scale — in music
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. last — final
  13. land — to come down
  14. game — wild animals
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rash — hasty
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. game — a match
  20. rash — a series
  21. present — a gift
  22. land — a country
  23. prune — to trim
  24. last — finally

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