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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fall — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rash — a series
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. scale — in music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spring — of water
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — hasty
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. spring — the season
  22. squash — to crush
  23. dip — to sink
  24. fall — to drop

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