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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wind — moving air
  3. face — to confront
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wind — moving air
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. face — to point toward
  13. scale — in music
  14. sharp — clever
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. ruler — a monarch

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