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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bass — the fish
  8. scale — size or range
  9. clip — a video
  10. ground — a position
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bass — low music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. season — of the year
  19. scale — in music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. club — for golf
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. nail — for a hammer

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