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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. swing — music
  3. clip — a video
  4. scale — in music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. scale — size or range
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. swing — in golf
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ball — a dance
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. swing — to play on

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