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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pound — a weight
  4. ball — a great time
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. race — a contest
  8. scale — in music
  9. race — humankind
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. hand — help
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. race — the arms race
  24. hand — part of the body

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