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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. scale — in music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. track — a song
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. track — to keep track
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. clip — a video
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. swing — music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. track — a path
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. perch — the fish
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. swing — to play on
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bass — low music
  24. perch — for a bird

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