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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: scale · rest · clip · hide · ball · chest · object · mark

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ball — a dance
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. clip — a video
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — a box
  12. clip — for paper
  13. object — to protest
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rest — a break
  16. ball — a great time
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. object — a thing
  19. rest — what's left
  20. clip — to cut
  21. scale — size or range
  22. object — an aim
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. scale — in music

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