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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rock — music
  3. scale — in music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rest — a break
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lean — thin
  20. shower — rain
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — help
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rock — to move gently

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