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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · chest · wound · mug · lie · swing · bass · file

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mug — to rob
  8. chest — a box
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wound — an injury
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. file — a document
  18. mug — a face
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. swing — in golf
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. file — a tool

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