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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mate — to breed
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tear — from crying
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mate — a partner
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. clip — to cut
  18. tear — to rip
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. safe — a strongbox

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