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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: lash · plane · chest · bowl · club · bass · scale · bat

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — a tool
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. club — a group
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. chest — a box
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bat — the animal

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