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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lie · wake · chest · club · scale · ball · fork · spell

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ball — a great time
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chest — a box
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. scale — size or range
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — in music
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fork — in a road
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. spell — letters
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spell — magic
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. club — for golf

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