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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. plane — a tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. scale — in music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. shower — to wash
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lean — thin
  12. pop — music
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pop — soda
  17. saw — the tool
  18. content — the amount
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — to bend
  22. content — happy
  23. shower — rain
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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