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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. object — an aim
  3. rule — government
  4. scale — in music
  5. swing — music
  6. object — a thing
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. clip — a video
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. scale — size or range
  11. swing — in golf
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. object — to protest
  15. clip — to cut
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out

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