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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. scale — in music
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rule — a law
  8. last — finally
  9. rash — a series
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. season — in sport
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rash — hasty
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rule — government
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. last — to go on
  19. scale — size or range
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. season — of the year
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. last — final

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