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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. clip — to cut
  5. object — to protest
  6. pitch — completely
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. object — an aim
  14. scale — in music
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. object — a thing
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. clip — a video
  24. cap — a hat

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