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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: bank · cabinet · pit · lie · bat · sharp · land · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bank — for money
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. land — to come down
  13. scale — in music
  14. land — ground
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pit — a hole
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pit — in a race
  22. land — a country
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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