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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bass — low music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. clip — for paper
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mark — a trace
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. game — wild animals
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. game — a match
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. scale — in music
  22. clip — a video
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. leaves — of a tree

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