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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: face · rash · lie · pitcher · rest · pound · season · scale

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. scale — in music
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rest — a break
  12. season — in sport
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rest — what's left
  17. face — to confront
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. season — of the year
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lie — to recline
  24. scale — size or range

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