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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. suit — in cards
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. clip — a video
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. clip — for paper
  17. suit — to fit
  18. mine — for digging
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mine — an explosive

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