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

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — for money
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. spell — letters
  7. bank — for money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spell — magic
  15. ground — the earth
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bank — of a river
  19. scale — in music
  20. ground — a position
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rash — a series
  23. face — to confront
  24. spell — a short time

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