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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 116 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stock — shares
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — tied together
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. clip — a video
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — obliged
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. scale — size or range
  13. band — a music group
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bound — certain
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. clip — to cut
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stock — goods
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. band — a ring
  24. clip — for paper

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