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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.

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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wind — moving air
  7. clip — for paper
  8. drill — the tool
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. clip — to cut
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. drill — a practice
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wind — moving air
  17. clip — a video
  18. drill — army training

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