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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. scale — in music
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. club — a group
  6. clip — a video
  7. current — electric
  8. field — farmland
  9. clip — to cut
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. current — of water
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. current — happening now
  15. stand — to bear
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. club — for golf
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. clip — for paper
  22. scale — size or range
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. club — for dancing

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