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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. clip — to cut
  7. scale — in music
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. object — an aim
  11. clip — for paper
  12. club — for golf
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cue — a hint
  15. clip — a video
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cue — a signal
  18. object — a thing
  19. pass — a permit
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — for pool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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