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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pitch — completely
  4. clip — a video
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kid — child
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lean — thin
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — for paper
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. clip — to cut

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