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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: swing · scale · calf · cell · fall · pitcher · lie · stock

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fall — the season
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cell — in biology
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. scale — in music
  24. cell — a phone

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