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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. hand — help
  6. file — a line of people
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hand — in cards
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cue — for pool
  11. scale — in music
  12. file — a document
  13. degree — from a university
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. file — a tool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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