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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pound — a weight
  4. clip — a video
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hand — help
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wake — a trail
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. scale — in music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. clip — to cut

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