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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. track — a path
  5. march — the month
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. track — to keep track
  9. net — after costs
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. march — the month
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. scale — in music
  15. march — music
  16. track — a song
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. clip — a video
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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