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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fall — to drop
  3. scale — size or range
  4. clip — a video
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fall — to drop
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fall — the season
  12. clip — for paper
  13. cap — of ice
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cap — a lid
  18. scale — in music
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. clip — to cut

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