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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.

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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. fall — to drop
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. plane — a tool
  12. scale — in music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. net — for catching
  17. fall — to drop
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fall — the season
  23. bat — the animal
  24. straw — dry grass

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