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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · rule · last · scale · patient · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. last — finally
  3. rule — government
  4. last — final
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. deal — to handle
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. scale — size or range
  12. last — to go on
  13. rule — a law
  14. scale — in music
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. patient — a sick person

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