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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rest — a break
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rest — what's left
  21. scale — size or range
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. scale — for weighing

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