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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: tear · scale · stand · key · net · face · straw · racket

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. face — to point toward
  3. tear — from crying
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. face — part of the head
  12. tear — to rip
  13. key — for a lock
  14. net — in sport
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. net — after costs
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. face — to confront
  19. net — for catching
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. scale — size or range
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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