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

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitch — completely
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cell — in biology
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cap — of ice
  24. straw — a straw man

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