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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. scale — in music
  3. clip — a video
  4. craft — a skill
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. suit — to fit
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pass — a permit
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chest — a box
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. scale — size or range
  18. chest — of your body
  19. suit — in cards
  20. mate — a partner
  21. clip — for paper
  22. degree — an amount
  23. clip — to cut
  24. suit — clothes

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