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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bat — the animal
  4. scale — in music
  5. ball — a dance
  6. band — a music group
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. can — a tin
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lean — thin
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lean — to bend
  16. scale — size or range
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. can — a tin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. ball — a great time
  21. can — to be able to
  22. band — a ring
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bowl — a dish

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