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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: pit · game · perch · sharp · chest · rash · scale · ball

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rash — a series
  4. perch — the fish
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ball — a great time
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. game — a match
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pit — in a race
  23. game — wild animals
  24. chest — of your body

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