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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cap — a hat
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spring — of water
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. spring — the season
  9. scale — in music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — a coil
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ball — a dance
  15. kick — in football
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. ball — a round shape

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