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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. scale — size or range
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bound — obliged
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wind — moving air
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bound — certain
  21. chip — to eat
  22. scale — in music
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chip — for betting

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