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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mark — a grade
  3. current — of water
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — ground
  6. stand — to bear
  7. scale — in music
  8. clip — a video
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hand — in cards
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. hand — help
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. current — electric
  19. mark — a trace
  20. current — happening now
  21. clip — for paper
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mark — to pay attention

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