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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. scale — in music
  3. cap — a hat
  4. present — the time now
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cap — a lid
  8. present — a gift
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cap — of ice
  12. sharp — clever
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. scale — size or range
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. present — there

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