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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. perch — the fish
  3. clip — a video
  4. scale — in music
  5. clip — for paper
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stand — to bear
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. court — of a king
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. swing — in golf
  13. track — a song
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. swing — music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. court — of law
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — for sport
  21. clip — to cut
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. swing — to play on

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