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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. scale — size or range
  3. squash — to crush
  4. net — for catching
  5. ground — the earth
  6. tear — to rip
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. track — a path
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. net — after costs
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. scale — in music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. net — in sport
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ground — a position
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. tear — from crying
  23. track — a song
  24. tear — from crying

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