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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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Word bank
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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: sharp · scale · ground · tube · bat · kick

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. kick — in football
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. scale — in music
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. tube — a container
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position

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