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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · fall · coach · scale · deal · pound

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. scale — in music
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fall — the season
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pound — a weight
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. scale — size or range
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kick — in football

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