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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. roll — a cake
  3. clip — to cut
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. scale — in music
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. scale — size or range
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — in biology
  13. clip — a video
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cell — a phone
  18. roll — a list
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. charge — in control
  21. mark — a trace
  22. clip — for paper
  23. saw — the tool
  24. charge — a price

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