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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. clip — a video
  3. rash — a series
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mark — a trace
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mark — a grade
  16. face — to confront
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bat — the animal
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. face — part of the head

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