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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 120 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: band · pass · scale · chest · lie · calf · pop · game

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. scale — size or range
  3. band — a ring
  4. game — wild animals
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pop — soda
  15. lie — to recline
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pop — music
  20. game — a match
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. scale — in music
  24. band — a music group

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