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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. clip — a video
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pop — soda
  5. pitch — completely
  6. capital — money
  7. clip — to cut
  8. scale — size or range
  9. clip — for paper
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. fork — in a road
  15. hand — help
  16. pop — to visit
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pop — music
  19. capital — a city
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. hand — in cards
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fork — to eat with

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