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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: row · pass · bat · leaves · bore · sharp · ground · scale

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bore — to drill
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. sharp — clever
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. scale — in music
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. ground — a position
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bore — to tire

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