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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
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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: cap · scale · lie · land · game · mark · wind · rock

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. land — ground
  3. rock — music
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — a grade
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — a lid
  16. scale — in music
  17. cap — a hat
  18. land — a country
  19. mark — a trace
  20. scale — size or range
  21. land — to come down
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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