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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: scale · field · date · mate · lie · ball · wake · arm

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ball — a dance
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mate — to breed
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. field — farmland
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mate — a friend
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mate — a partner
  21. field — for sport
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. field — a subject
  24. wake — a trail

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