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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. pitch — completely
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lie — to recline
  6. court — for sport
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. root — of a word
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. scale — in music
  13. court — of a king
  14. root — the cause
  15. club — a group
  16. root — of a plant
  17. land — to come down
  18. court — of law
  19. land — ground
  20. club — for golf
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — a country
  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