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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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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: game · march · squash · shower · current · pit · lie · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. squash — to crush
  4. current — happening now
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pit — a hole
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. march — the month
  10. current — electric
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. squash — the sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. current — of water
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pit — in a race
  21. lie — to recline
  22. march — music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. march — the month

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