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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 · sharp · lean · trunk · board · land · pitch · mine

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitch — completely
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. lean — to bend
  6. board — a committee
  7. land — a country
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lean — thin
  12. scale — in music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. scale — size or range
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. land — ground
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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