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

Word bank: kick · deal · scale · game · race · tear · saw · ground

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tear — from crying
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. race — humankind
  8. ground — a position
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. race — a contest
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. scale — size or range
  14. tear — to rip
  15. ground — crushed
  16. deal — to handle
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. scale — in music
  21. ground — the earth
  22. race — the arms race
  23. tear — from crying
  24. game — a match

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