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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: scale · pit · band · chest · hand · toast · hide · pass

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pass — a permit
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. chest — a box
  12. pit — a hole
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. hand — in cards
  15. band — a music group
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. band — a ring
  21. hand — help
  22. toast — bread
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. band — a rubber band

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