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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 116 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fall — the season
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bound — certain
  15. kick — in football
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. clip — a video
  22. bound — tied together
  23. scale — in music
  24. pit — a hole

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