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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. kid — to tease
  3. plane — a tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chest — a box
  7. cap — a lid
  8. board — to get on
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chest — of your body
  11. board — a committee
  12. cap — of ice
  13. scale — in music
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. kid — child
  17. can — a tin
  18. chest — of your body
  19. can — to be able to
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. can — a tin
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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