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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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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: fall · nail · scale · roll · saw · ground · cue · chest

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ground — a position
  4. roll — a cake
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fall — the season
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cue — a hint
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. scale — size or range
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. scale — in music
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. roll — a list
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ground — crushed

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