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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. scale — in music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. key — the most important part
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. clip — a video
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rash — a series
  15. clip — to cut
  16. key — in music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rule — government
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rule — a law
  23. clip — for paper
  24. scale — size or range

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