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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. present — the time now
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fork — in a road
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. clip — for paper
  8. degree — an amount
  9. present — a gift
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. roll — a list
  15. clip — a video
  16. scale — size or range
  17. degree — from a university
  18. present — there
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. degree — temperature
  23. roll — a cake
  24. scale — for weighing

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