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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: lie · row · pit · pop · scale · racket · tear · chest

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pop — music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pop — soda
  11. scale — in music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lie — to recline
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pop — to visit
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pit — a hole
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. row — a line
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pit — in a race

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