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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.

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: scale · capital · lie · stick · mine · bass · march · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. capital — money
  4. bass — the fish
  5. march — the month
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bass — low music
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. lie — to recline
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. scale — in music
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. march — the month
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. scale — size or range
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. march — music
  24. scale — for weighing

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