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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.

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: cap · wind · scale · deal · ball · pitcher · bass · chest

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chest — a box
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cap — of ice
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. scale — in music
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — of your body
  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