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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. suit — in cards
  3. clip — for paper
  4. ground — the earth
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. scale — in music
  8. track — a path
  9. clip — a video
  10. suit — to fit
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. object — an aim
  13. kid — child
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. suit — clothes
  16. scale — size or range
  17. track — to keep track
  18. ground — a position
  19. track — a song
  20. ground — crushed
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. object — a thing
  23. clip — to cut
  24. coach — a trainer

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