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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 120 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. dip — to sink
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rash — hasty
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. face — to confront
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rash — a series
  20. face — to point toward
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. scale — in music
  24. shower — rain

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