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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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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 · bass · perch · sharp · kick · bay · file · race

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kick — in football
  5. sharp — clever
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — in music
  9. file — a tool
  10. bass — low music
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. race — a contest
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. file — a document
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. race — humankind
  18. file — a line of people
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. sharp — exactly

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