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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: scale · leaves · rush · mark · sharp · cap · ground · rash

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rash — hasty
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rash — a series
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rush — hurry
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cap — of ice
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. ground — a position
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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