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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · fall · kick · bat · net · wound · scale · chair

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pop — soda
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — the animal
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. net — after costs
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. net — in sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. pop — music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. chair — a leader
  18. kick — in football
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. net — for catching
  21. scale — in music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wound — an injury

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