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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: pass · saw · scale · chest · mine · mark · fork · kick

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — a trace
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chest — of your body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fork — in a road
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. scale — in music
  16. kick — in football
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mine — belonging to me

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