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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cue — a signal
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. band — a music group
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — size or range
  8. squash — the sport
  9. ground — a position
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. band — a ring
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. scale — in music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. race — the arms race
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. race — humankind
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ground — the earth
  24. race — a contest

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