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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. scale — in music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bat — for baseball

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