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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. saw — the tool
  5. charge — a price
  6. row — a line
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — the tool
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. date — the fruit

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