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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: mate · lie · march · pop · scale · spell · stand · sharp

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. march — the month
  3. pop — to visit
  4. spell — letters
  5. pop — music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. scale — in music
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pop — soda
  10. march — music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stand — to bear
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. sharp — clever
  18. spell — a short time
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. spell — magic
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mate — to breed

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