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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: key · net · scale · pitcher · chest · can · face · lash

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. can — a tin
  4. face — to confront
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. net — after costs
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. chest — of your body
  11. key — in music
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. face — part of the head
  14. scale — in music
  15. can — to be able to
  16. net — for catching
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. net — in sport
  20. face — to point toward
  21. can — a tin
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. key — the most important part

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