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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. scale — size or range
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. clip — for paper
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. foot — a measure
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. clip — to cut
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. clip — a video
  24. pound — a weight

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