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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. field — for sport
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rock — a stone
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rock — music
  8. clip — a video
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. clip — for paper
  11. field — farmland
  12. race — a contest
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bear — the animal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. field — a subject
  18. bear — the animal
  19. race — humankind
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. kick — in football
  24. sharp — clever

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