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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. prune — to trim
  4. club — for golf
  5. clip — for paper
  6. can — a tin
  7. clip — a video
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. club — a group
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. can — to be able to
  14. clip — to cut
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. scale — in music
  17. can — a tin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. club — for dancing
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — size or range

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