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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: scale · straw · rest · chest · toast · bat · face · net

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. net — for catching
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. face — part of the head
  8. chest — of your body
  9. face — to point toward
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rest — a break
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. net — after costs
  15. chest — of your body
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. face — to confront
  18. rest — what's left
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chest — a box
  22. bat — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. toast — bread

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