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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. track — a song
  7. clip — a video
  8. scale — size or range
  9. court — for sport
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. track — to keep track
  14. scale — in music
  15. suit — in cards
  16. court — of law
  17. clip — for paper
  18. court — of a king
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fine — high quality
  21. present — there
  22. suit — to fit
  23. track — a path
  24. cabinet — ministers

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