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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 · lie · craft · game · net · bass · ground · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. game — a match
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bass — low music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. craft — a skill
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. scale — size or range
  12. ground — a position
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mine — for digging
  16. craft — boats
  17. scale — in music
  18. net — in sport
  19. ground — crushed
  20. game — wild animals
  21. net — after costs
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. net — for catching
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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