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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: rash · bat · lie · foot · date · saw · scale · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. saw — the tool
  6. date — the fruit
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rash — a series
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lie — to recline
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rash — hasty
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bat — the animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. scale — size or range

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