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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. can — to be able to
  3. scale — size or range
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. sharp — clever
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. clip — to cut
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bass — low music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. can — a tin
  13. file — a line of people
  14. can — a tin
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. file — a tool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a document
  24. clip — a video

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