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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. shower — rain
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bass — the fish
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bass — low music
  10. pop — soda
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cue — a hint
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. shower — to wash
  15. scale — in music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. clip — to cut
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. clip — a video
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pop — music

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