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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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Word bank
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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a match
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bass — low music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fall — to drop
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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