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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. present — a gift
  3. fall — to drop
  4. present — there
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ball — a great time
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fall — to drop
  14. saw — the tool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — in cards
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. fall — the season
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. hand — help
  22. present — the time now
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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