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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. fall — the season
  4. band — a music group
  5. rest — a break
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. fall — to drop
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. scale — in music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fall — to drop
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pitch — a sports field

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