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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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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bass — the fish
  5. scale — in music
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. clip — a video
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bass — low music
  17. clip — for paper
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. track — a path
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. chip — to eat
  24. band — a ring

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