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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pop — soda
  6. scale — size or range
  7. clip — to cut
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pop — music
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. clip — a video
  12. pop — to visit
  13. shower — to wash
  14. snap — to click
  15. swing — music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. swing — in golf
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. shower — rain
  24. calf — a young animal

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