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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. clip — for paper
  4. capital — a city
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. clip — a video
  13. chip — for betting
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitch — completely
  16. clip — to cut
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. capital — money
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. racket — for tennis

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