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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ground — the earth
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. lie — to recline
  13. present — there
  14. ground — a position
  15. bore — to tire
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bore — to drill
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. plane — a tool

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