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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.

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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: mark · hide · lie · ball · scale · fan · ground · bat

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ground — a position
  4. mark — a trace
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. scale — in music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — size or range
  24. ground — the earth

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