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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 116 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: staff · pitcher · scale · fall · sharp · lie · leaves · cap

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. lie — to recline
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fall — to drop
  8. staff — employees
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fall — to drop
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cap — a lid
  14. scale — in music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. scale — size or range
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. staff — employees
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. staff — a stick
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fall — the season
  24. cap — of ice

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