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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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Word bank
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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: rash · scale · game · mouse · object · kick · ruler · tear

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. object — a thing
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. rash — a series
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. object — an aim
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. scale — in music

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