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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ruler · scale · pitch · kick · rash · row · fan · cold

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — a series
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pitch — completely
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cold — not warm
  15. kick — in football
  16. rash — hasty
  17. scale — in music
  18. row — a line
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fan — a supporter

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