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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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 — for weighing
  2. chest — a box
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bark — to shout
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. scale — in music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. kid — to tease
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. kid — child
  18. pass — a permit
  19. lie — to recline
  20. court — of law
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. chest — of your body
  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