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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 120 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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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: fall · saw · suit · bay · last · hand · scale · march

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hand — in cards
  8. last — finally
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — clothes
  11. march — the month
  12. last — to go on
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. march — the month
  16. last — final
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. fall — the season
  20. hand — help
  21. march — music
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. suit — in cards

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