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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lean — thin
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. scale — size or range
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. key — in music
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rash — a series
  19. key — the most important part
  20. shower — rain
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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