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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: scale · toast · tear · bound · pitch · shower · deal · face

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tear — to rip
  3. scale — in music
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. toast — bread
  7. pitch — completely
  8. face — to confront
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. deal — to handle
  12. shower — to wash
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. face — part of the head
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. shower — rain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. scale — size or range
  24. tear — from crying

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