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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rest — a break
  3. squash — to crush
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. ball — a dance
  10. field — for sport
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. scale — in music
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rest — what's left
  24. squash — the sport

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