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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. kid — to tease
  3. charge — a price
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bass — low music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. clip — a video
  12. rash — a series
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rash — hasty
  15. present — a gift
  16. charge — in control
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. present — there
  19. scale — in music
  20. present — the time now
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — the fish
  23. clip — for paper
  24. kid — child

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